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GEORGE IV. 

MEMOIRS OF HIS LIFE AND REIGN, 

INTERSPERSED WITH 

NUMEROUS PERSONAL ANECDOTES; 

TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE HOUSE 
OF BRUNSWICK, FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD. 



By H. E. LLOYD, Esq. 



WITH 

A PORTRAIT AND AUTOGRAPH OF HIS MAJESTY. 




LONDON: 
TREUTTEL and WURTZ, TREUTTEL JUN. and RICHTER, 

30, SOHO SQUARE. 

1830. 



z/\sd$ 



HOWLETT AND BRIMMER, PRINTERS, 
FRITH STREET, SOHO, LONDON. 



PREFACE. 



In preparing the following sketch of 
the Life of our late lamented Sovereign, 
I have availed myself of such sources 
of information, both public documents, 
and private communications, as were 
accessible to me, in order to place in 
as correct a point of view as I was 
able, his personal conduct and charac- 
ter, as a man and as a monarch, during 
the reign of his father, and in the 
period when we were governed by him 
as Regent and King. 



The feeling that has guided my pen 
in this tribute to his memory, is wholly 
conformable to that which animates 
the following beautiful lines, which I 
rejoice have been published in time 
for me to adopt them, as the sincere 
expression of my own sentiments, in 
language which will find an echo in 
the hearts of all who can appreciate 
the character of George the Fourth. 

H. E. LLOYD. 

London, July, 1830. 



IN OBITUM REGIS DESIDERATISSIMI 

GEORGII IV. 



Now that thine eyes are closed in death, and all 
The glories of thy birth, and state, and power, 
Are pass'd, as the vain pageant of an hour, 
Ending in that poor corse, beneath that pall, — 
The tribute of a Briton's love I pay, 
Not to the living King, but the cold clay 
Before me : — 

Let the throned and mighty call 
For worldly adulation — the pale dead 
Mocks him who offers it ; but truth, instead, 
O'er the reft crown shall say — 

" The King who wore, 
" Wore it majestically, yet most mild: 
" Meek mercy bless'd the sceptre which he bore ; 
" Arts, a fair train, beneath his fostering, smiled; 
" And who could speak of sorrow, but his eye 
" Did glisten with a tear of charity? 
" Oh ! if defects the best and wisest have, 
" Leave them, for pity leave them, to that God, 
" That God who lifts the balance or the rod, 
" And close with parting prayer the curtain o'er the 
grave ! " 

W. L. Bowles. 
July 10, 1830. 



HISTORIC MEMOIR 



OF THE 



ROYAL LINE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



I. 

The founder of the House of Brunswick was 
Boniface, Count of Lucca, so created in 769. He left 
a son named Adelbert, who was deprived of his domains 
for his gallantry in rescuing the Empress Judith from the 
monastery in which she was confined by her son-in-law, 
Lothaire, King of Italy. Adelbert then went to France, 
where he received honors and rewards which abun- 
dantly compensated for his losses. His son Adelbert 
became Duke and Marquis of Tuscany. He was suc- 
ceeded by a son of the same name, who left two sons and 
a daughter. The elder son, Guido, is said to have 
died young. Lambert, the second, lost his eyes and 
estates by the treachery of his uterine brother, the Count 
of Provence. 



There was a third Duke Adelbert, who, according 
to Leibnitz and Muratori, two historians of credit, 
was the son of the Marquis Guido ; but Gibbon, on what 
ground he does not say, thinks he was only a cousin of 
the two princes. Let this be as it may, he was the father 
of the families of Este and Brunswick. He left a son 
named Otbert, who joined Otho of Saxony against Beren- 
garius, King of Italy, which proved the means of uniting 
the two countries under the iron crown. Otbert, after 
distinguishing himself in arms, retired into a Benedictine 
Abbey, which he had himself founded. He was suc- 
ceeded in his territories by a son of the same name, 
whose four sons involved the family in great trouble, by 
taking part with Ardouin of Lombardy against Henry of 
Saxony. Albert Azo, the eldest of these brothers, fixed 
his residence at the castellated town of A teste, or Este. 
He was succeeded by his son Albert Azo the Second, who 
was the common father of the Italian line of Este, and 
the German one of Brunswick. He obtained the name 
of "the Great Marquis," on account of his munificence ; 
and he was no less remarkable for his longevity — dying 
above one hundred years old, in 1055. He was twice 
married; first to Cunegunda, daughter and heiress of 
Guelph III. Duke of Bavaria; secondly, to Garsanda, 
daughter of Hugo, Count of Maine, by whom he had 
three children. 



Cunegunda brought her husband a son named Guelph, 
who inherited the maternal estates in Germany, and 
there planted the House of Brunswick. He was created 
Duke of Bavaria in 1071, and died at Cyprus, on his 
way to the Holy Land, in 1101. He was twice married : 
first to Ethelinda, daughter of Otho, Duke of Bavaria, 
from whom he was divorced; and secondly to Judith, 
daughter of Baldwin, Count of Flanders, and widow of 
Tosto, Earl of Kent, brother of Harold, the last of our 
Saxon kings. 

By his second wife he had two sons — 1. Guelph, the 
sixth Duke of Bavaria, who married Matilda, a lady 
of noble birth, and died without issue, in 1119; — 
2. Henry, called " the Black," Duke of Bavaria, who 
died in 1125, leaving a son of his own name, desig- 
nated as " Henry the Superb." He espoused Gertrude, 
daughter of the Emperor Lothaire the Second, by whom 
he had Henry, called "the Lion," from whom lineally 
descended the family of Lunenburg. Henry revolted in 
1180 against Frederick Barbarossa, who put him under 
the ban of the empire, and confiscated his estates. Upon 
this misfortune he retired to England, and found a liberal 
protector in Henry the Second, who gave him his 
daughter Matilda (or Maud) in marriage, and afterwards 
procured him the dominions of Brunswick and Lunen- 
burg. Thus the royal blood of our ancient kings became 

b2 



Xll 

incorporated with the family of Guelph ages before the 
Tudors or Stuarts were united with it. 

Henry the Lion died in 1195, leaving three sons — 
1. Otho, created by Richard I. Earl of York, and 
afterwards elected Emperor of Germany; 2. Henry, 
Count Palatine of the Rhine; 3. William, Duke of 
Brunswick and Lunenburg, so created by his elder 
brother, the Emperor Otho. 



II. 



From this period the history of the family presents 
nothing remarkable till the year 1530, when it had for its 
head Duke Ernest, called "the Confessor," from his 
having embraced the principles of the Reformation, and 
introduced the Augsburg Confession into his estates. 
He died in 1546. 

His third son, Henry, by the Princess Sophia, daughter 
of the Duke of Mecklenburg, became the founder of the 
House of Brunswick- Wolfenbuttel, from whence issued 
the families of Blankenburg and Bavaria. 

Another branch of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lunenburg, 
is that of Zell, which began with "William, the fourth son 
of Ernest. This Duke William married the daughter of 
Christian III. King of Denmark, and had by her fifteen 



Xlll 

children, seven of whom where sons, whose names were 
Ernest, Christian, Augustus, Frederick, Magnus, George, 
and John. On the death of their father, in 1593, to keep 
up the dignity of their house, these princes entered into 
an agreement not to divide the paternal inheritance. 
Accordingly, they resolved that only one of the number 
should marry ; that the elder brother, Ernest, should have 
the sole regency of the Lunenburg estates for the general 
benefit ; and that on his demise, the trust should devolve 
on the next in succession. The seven princes then drew 
lots who should marry, and the fortunate chance fell upon 
George, who espoused Anne Eleonora, daughter of 
Lewis the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, by whom he 
had five children. It is said that when the Grand Signor, 
Achmet the First, heard of this extraordinary compact, 
and of the faithful manner in which it was kept, he 
expressed great surprise, and observed, that " It was 
worth a man's while to undertake a journey on purpose to 
be an eye-witness of such wonderful unanimity in one 
family." This Duke George was educated at the 
University of Jena, after which he made the tour of 
Europe, and on his return to Germany, entered into the 
military service under the illustrious Gustavus Adolphus, 
King of Sweden. In 1630, he defeated the imperial 
general Merode, near Oldenburg ; which victory was 
followed by the capture of Hameln, Osnaburg, and 



XIV 

Petershagen. In 1634, he was again nominated to a 
command in the circle of Lower Saxony, where, in 
conjunction with the Hessian general Melander, he 
defeated the imperialists near Hoxter, and took several 
strong fortresses. This great man was carried off by a 
fever, which seized him at the siege of Wolfenbuttel, 
April 2, 1642. He had by his duchess, who died in 
1649, five children; 1. Christian Lewis, who succeeded 
him in the titles and estates: — 2. George William, 
Duke of Brunswick- Zell, father of the Princess Sophia 
Dorothea, wife of George the First ; — 3. John Frederic, 
who became Duke of Hanover, Calemburg, and Gru- 
benhagen. He turned Roman Catholic, and died in 1679, 
having married the daughter of Edward, Count Palatine 
of the Rhine, by whom he had no male issue. One of 
his daughters, Charlotte Felicite, married, in 1695, 
Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena, and died in childbed, 
in 1710. Another, Wilhelmina Amelia, became the wife 
of the Emperor Joseph I., whom she survived, and died 
in France in 1730: — 4. Ernest Augustus:-— and lastly, 
Sophia Amelia, who married Frederic III. King of 
Denmark, and died in 1685. 

Ernest Augustus, the youngest son of the great 
Duke George, was born November 20, 1629; became 
Prince Bishop of Osnaburg in 1662, and Duke of 
Hanover in 1680, on the death of his brother John 



XV 

Frederic, who left no male issue. This Duke Ernest 
distinguished himself with such valor against the Turks 
at the siege of Candia, and afterwards in Hungary, that 
the Emperor Leopold, in 1692, created in his favor a 
ninth electorate, with the title of Grand Ensign-bearer 
of the Empire. At the same time, Duke George 
William, his brother, ceded in his favor, for the support 
of this new honor, the Duchy of Lunenburg, the Prin- 
cipalities of Zell, Calemburg, and Grubenhagen, with 
the counties of Hoya and Diepholtz. But though the 
family of Brunswick were naturally proud of this high 
distinction conferred upon their house, several of the 
German princes strenuously opposed the decree; nor 
was it fully confirmed, by the admission of the Elector 
into the College, till several years afterwards. 

Duke Ernest married, October 17, 1658, Sophia, the 
youngest daughter of Frederic V. King of Bohemia and 
Elector Palatine, by the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of 
James the First, King of Great Britain. 



III. 

Elizabeth Stuart was born at Stirling, August 19, 
1596. On the accession of her father to the English 
throne, she was placed under the care of Lord and Lady 
Harrington, at their seat called Court Abbey, in Warwick- 



XVI 

shire. Here she resided at the time when the diabolical 
plot was formed to cut off the rest of her family, by blow- 
ing up the two Houses of Parliament, November 5, 1605. 
The conspirators intended to seize the young princess, 
and bring her up in the Catholic religion; for which 
purpose they appointed a grand hunting match of the 
party in the neighbourhood of Lord Harrington, thinking 
that the object of their enterprise would be the easier 
accomplished upon such an occasion. The scheme, 
however, failed by the defeat of the primary plan. 
Notwithstanding this, King James was so infatuated as 
to enter into a negociation for the marriage of his 
daughter; first to the son of the Duke of Savoy, one of 
the most bigoted adherents of the Pope; and next, to 
Philip IV. of Spain. The rumour of this unnatural 
alliance created a general alarm among all the Protestant 
powers of Europe, and raised the indignation of the people 
of England to a ferment. 

Sir Edward Conway, then governor of the Brill, one 
of the cautionary towns in Holland, wrote thus in 1611, 
to Sir Adam Newton, tutor to Henry, Prince of Wales :— 
" If it shall be possible and found good by His Majesty, 
the Defender of the Faith, to give his blessed and 
gracious daughter into Spain, and her children to be bred 
up in that religion; and for the Catholic King to be 
dispensed with to match with a blessed Christian princess, 



XVII 

the dangers his Majesty and his royal issue are exposed 
to from the Spanish and Jesuitical practices are such, as 
I tremble to think of them. 

" His Highness, as a counsellor to his royal father, as 
heir-apparent to the crown, as having the expectation and 
hope of the world cast upon his excellent worth and 
powers, is called upon, not only to observe these passages, 
but to be provident in them, as the most faithful watchman 
and remembrancer to his Majesty ; and foreseeing, that a 
small industry and force turns aside inconveniences, 
which, once come and seated, will not be remedied but 
with infinite difficulty." 

The Protestant potentates of Germany, and particu- 
larly the States of Holland, exerted themselves to 
counteract the machinations of Spain ; and the Court of 
France being no less jealous of the ascendancy of that 
power, united with them in thwarting the matrimonial 
negociation. 

At first it was intended to propose the young Landgrave 
of Hesse-Cassel for the princess ; but this idea was soon 
set aside in favor of Frederick, Elector Palatine of the 
Rhine. This prince, who was of the same age as 
Elizabeth, being born August 16, 1596, was of the 
House of Bavaria, and a lineal descendant of the Guelphs. 
His father, Frederick, called "the Sincere," died in 



XV111 

1610, and his mother, Louisa Juliana, daughter of the 
great William of Nassau, Prince of Orange, in 1644. 

By the powerful exertions of the foreign states, the 
English nobility, and the Prince of Wales, but perhaps 
as much by the influence of the golden presents from 
Holland, King James was induced to break off the 
treaty with Spain, and consent to receive Frederick as a 
son-in-law. The Elector accordingly landed at Gravesend, 
October 16, 1612; but the joy which his arrival occasioned 
was damped by the death of the amiable Prince Henry 
on the 6th of November following. In consequence of 
this calamity, the nuptials were deferred till the 14th 
of February, when the ceremony took place with great 
pomp at Whitehall: and on the 10th of April, the prince 
and his wife left England. In 1619, the throne of 
Bohemia becoming vacant, the states of that kingdom 
chose the Elector Palatine to that dignity ; which in an 
evil hour, and, as it was said, by the persuasion of his 
wife, he accepted. This raised a war in Germany, that 
lasted thirty years; in which Frederick not only lost his 
new crown, but his hereditary dominions, and was obliged 
to seek a refuge in Holland, where he died in 1632, 
leaving six sons and five daughters, with their mother, 
dependent upon the bounty of the states, and the pension 
granted by Charles the First. 



XIX 

It is generally known that the latter, when Prince of 
Wales, rashly ventured into Spain for the purpose of 
fetching a wife, but that the negociation failed, and he 
was suffered to return, much to the surprise of the people, 
who feared he would have fallen a victim to his temerity. 
That he did not, is very naturally accounted for by 
Spanheim the historian, who says, " The Spaniards 
dreaded the succession of Elizabeth of Bohemia and her 
family to the English throne ; and therefore, to prevent 
it, permitted him to return home in safety." 

Wonderful, however, is the wisdom of Providence in 
directing the fate of nations. Elizabeth, who had been 
selected as an instrument for the establishment of Popery, 
by the conspirators in 1605, became the means of securing 
and perpetuating a Protestant government. 

No woman of her rank ever experienced such trials and 
vicissitudes, nor did any one ever bear them with greater 
fortitude. After seeing the monarchy put down by the 
murder of her brother, she lived to witness the restoration 
of her nephew to the throne, and on the 17th of May, 1661, 
she landed in England, where she died, February 13, 1662, 
and was buried in the royal vault of Henry the Seventh's 
Chapel, Westminster. Frederick and Elizabeth of 
Bohemia had thirteen children — 1. Frederick Henry, 
who was drowned in the lake of Haarlem; 2. Charles 
Lewis, who became Elector Palatine; 3. Rupert, cele- 



XX 

h rated for his exploits by land and sea, first in the rebellion, 
and afterwards in the Dutch war; 4. Maurice, who 
perished in a voyage to the West Indies in 1654; 5. Louis, 
who died an infant; 6. Edward, who turned Catholic, and 
died in 1663; 7. Philip, who was killed at the battle of 
Rethel in 1650; 8. Gustavus Adolphus, who died in 
1646; 9. Elizabeth, the accomplished correspondent of 
Des Cartes, Madam Schurman, and Penn the Quaker; 
10. Louisa Hollandina, who turned Catholic, and became 
superior of a convent in France; 11. Henrietta Maria, 
who married Sigismond, Duke of Montgatz; 12. Char- 
lotte, who died in childhood; 13. Sophia, born October 
13, 1630, and married, at the age of eighteen, Ernest 
Augustus of Brunswick, Duke of Hanover, who died 
February 3, 1698. This marriage produced six sons and 
a daughter — 1. George Lewis, the second Elector; 

2. Frederick Augustus, who became a general in the 
imperial service, and was slain in Transylvania in 1691 ; 

3. Maximilian William, who rose to the command of the 
Venetian armies, and died in that service; 4. Charles 
Philip, who in 1690 fell into the hands of the Turks in 
Albania, and soon after died t>f his wounds ; 5. Christian, 
who was drowned in crossing the Danube after the defeat 
of the imperialists at the battle of Munderkingen in 1703; 
6. Ernest Augustus, who in 1716 was elected Prince 
Bishop of Osnaburg, and in the same year was created 



XXI 



by his brother, then King of England, Duke of York and 
Albany; he died in 1728; 7. Sophia Charlotte, who 
married, in 1684, Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg, and 
afterwards King of Prussia. She died at the age of thirty- 
seven, in 1705. 



IV. 

The Electress Sophia inherited a considerable share of 
her mother's spirit, and evinced an understanding of a 
very superior description. She kept up a secret corres- 
pondence with the English nobility at the close of the 
reign of Charles the Second, and there are many of her 
letters existing which prove that she was an intent 
observer of the proceedings of James the Second. 

Bishop Burnet takes the credit of this to himself. 
After observing, that when he resided in Holland, the 
Duke of Hanover was much attached to the Court of 
France, he proceeds thus : " I ventured to send a message 
to the Princess Sophia by a French refugee named 
M. Boncour: it was to acquaint her with our design 
with relation to England, and so let her know, that if we 
succeeded, a perpetual exclusion of all Papists from the 
succession to the crown would be enacted; and since she 
was the next Protestant heir after the two Princesses and 
the Prince of Orange, of whom there was at that time 



XXII 

lio issue alive, I was very confident, that if the Duke of 
Hanover could be disengaged from the interests of 
France, so that he came into our interests, the succession 
to the crown would be lodged in her person, and in her 
posterity ; though, on the other hand, if he continued, as 
he stood then, engaged with France, I could not answer 
for this. The gentleman carried the message, and 
delivered it. The duchess entertained it with much 
warmth, and brought him to the duke to repeat it to him, 
but at that time this made no great impression upon him ; 
he looked on it as a remote and a doubtful project: yet 
when he saw our success in England, he had other thoughts 
of it. Some days after this Frenchman was gone, I told 
the Prince of Orange what I had done; he approved 
of it heartily, but was particularly glad that I had done it 
as of myself, without communicating it to him, or any way 
engaging him in it; for, he said, if it should happen to be 
known that the proposition was made by him, it might do 
us hurt in England — as if he had already reckoned him- 
self so far master, as to be forming projects concerning 
the succession to the crown." 

This must be set down as one of those prophecies 
which originate in the reflection of the historian after the 
event, rather than in the vaticination of political fore- 
sight. At this time James the Second had two married 
daughters, and the prospect of further issue by a 



XXlli 

young wife. The prospect, therefore, held out by Burnet, 
was, as the Duke of Hanover conceived it to be, extremely 
remote and visionary. 

But if the fact be as the prelate states, while we give 
credit to him for his political sagacity, we cannot but 
consider his principles in a questionable light. The 
people of England certainly had no relish for a Dutch 
government; and had it been known to them that such 
a yoke was intended, there would probably have been a 
general rising to repel the Prince of Orange from the 
British coast, instead of hailing him as a deliverer. One 
thing is certain, that after the revolution, neither William 
nor Anne manifested any regard for the Hanoverian family, 
although the rights of that house, when duly examined, 
were equal to those of the personages in possession. 

When, however, the Duke of Gloucester, the last 
surviving child of the Princess Anne, died, July 30, 1700, 
it became necessary to provide for the security of the 
Protestant succession. 

Accordingly, on the 14th of June, 1701, an Act of 
Parliament received the royal assent for the limitation of 
the succession of the crown, after the demise of King 
William and the Princess Anne of Denmark, to the 
Electress Dowager Sophia of Hanover, and her issue, 
being Protestants. 

Against this act of settlement a protest was made on 



XXIV 

behalf of the Duchess of Savoy, daughter of Henrietta, 
Duchess of Orleans, youngest daughter of Charles the 
First. 

As soon as this important Act passed, the Earl of 
Macclesfield was despatched to Hanover with it, in the 
capacity of ambassador extraordinary. His reception of 
course was very gracious, but an historian and eye-witness 
says, that the Court of Hanover was far from exhibiting 
that morality which became its dignity. On this account, 
Archbishop Tenison wrote to the Princess Sophia, 
intreating her to dismiss all improper persons, visitors, 
and others, from her palace. It is certain that the 
Electress, notwithstanding her advanced age, was very 
free in her discourse upon religious subjects, and gave 
more encouragement than became her to sceptics and 
libertines, particularly Toland, who was also a great 
favorite with her daughter, the Queen of Prussia. 

About the end of Queen Anne's reign, the ardent 
friends of the House of Hanover were very desirous that 
the Electoral Prince, afterwards George II., should be 
invited over to this country; but the design was opposed 
by her Majesty, who sent the Earl of Clarendon to 
dissuade the father from suffering his son to take such a 
step, for fear of raising the spirit of party to a higher 
degree of excitement than it had already attained. The 
Elector had the good sense to follow the advice, contrary 



XXV 

to the will of his mother, whose passions, always strong, 
could ill brook this opposition to her wish; and on the 
8th of June, 1714, she died, as was said, of chagrin. But 
though she might be mortified, it is too much to ascribe 
her death, at such an advanced age (eighty-four), to pure 
vexation. 

Had Sophia lived ten weeks longer, she would have 
been proclaimed Queen of Great Britain. 



George Lewis, the Second Elector of Hanover, was 
born May 28, 1660. He gave early marks of genius, 
judgment, and valor. At the age of twelve he spoke 
Latin, French, and Italian, fluently ; but never could 
converse in English, for want of learning the language in 
his youth. In 1675,. being then no more than fifteen, he 
accompanied his father and uncle in the campaign against 
the French; and distinguished himself with uncommon 
bravery at the battle of Consarbriick, where he stood in 
the hottest of the fire. The Emperor Leopold was so 
much impressed with gratitude to his supporters for this 
victory, that he wrote three letters of thanks with his own 
hand ; one to the Duke Ernest, one to his brother, the 
Duke of Zell, and one to Prince George, whom he 
complimented in a very flattering manner, on account of 
the glorious signs which he had given of future greatness. 

c 



XXVI 

George William, Duke of Zell, was very proud of his 
nephew, and wished to draw him into a nearer bond of 
affinity, by marrying him to his daughter. The history 
of this princess is most melancholy, and would in its cir- 
cumstances afford an excellent foundation for a romance 
or tragedy. Sophia Dorothea, of Zell, was born in 1666, 
being the only one of four daughters who lived to 
maturity. Her mother was Eleanor d'Esmiers, daughter 
of Alexander, Lord of Olbreuse, in Poitou, who at the 
time of her marriage possessed the lordship of Harbourg, 
which the emperor afterwards, in honor of her, created 
into a principality. But the distinctions which she 
received herself, and those which she lived to witness 
bestowed upon some of her family, were sadly counter- 
balanced by the misfortunes of her daughter. At the 
age of nine years, Sophia Dorothea was betrothed to her 
cousin, Augustus Frederic of Wolfenbuttel, who fell at 
the siege of Philipsburgh, in 1677, consequently without 
having consummated his ill-starred marriage. At this 
time it is said that Lewis the Fourteenth ordered his 
ambassador, Gourville, to propose a marriage between 
Prince George of Hanover and the daughter of the Duke 
of Orleans. That the French monarch made such an 
overture, is probable ; but he could not have been, as the 
German historian who relates it says he was, induced by 
any design to prevent the succession of the House of 



XXV11 

Brunswick to the English throne ; since at this time there 
was not even a remote prospect that the line actually in 
possession would be disturbed. Charles the Second was 
then in health; and his brother not only had children by his 
first wife, but every appearance of a family by his second, 
the young princess of Modena, to whom he had not been 
long married. The motive of Lewis seems to have been 
more immediately personal, and to have had for its object 
the attachment of the Hanoverian interests to the court 
of France. But be his design what it might, the cir- 
cumstance proves the importance of this branch of the 
House of Brunswick, even before its elevation to the 
electoral dignity, when the greatest powers of the con- 
tinent courted its alliance. Well would it have been for 
Sophia Dorothea, had her family formed a junction with 
the House of Bourbon. I will not say, as many do, that 
the marriage of first cousins is too near to be happy ; but 
it is certain that many instances might be adduced to 
justify an objection to such connections. The case of 
the unhappy Princess of Zell is one of the most promi- 
nent in the melancholy catalogue; but it is involved in a 
cloud of mysterious darkness which even the lapse of a 
century has not dispelled. 

In the state of childhood, when no affection could be 
formed, or any just notions be conceived of the nature 
and obligation of the connubial relation, was Sophia 

c2 



XXV111 

Dorothea obliged to enter into the most serious of all 
engagements, with her first cousin, who was double her 
own age. Within a year, however, the death of her 
spouse released her from this preposterous and unnatural 
tie; but it was only to consign her over to another, not 
less inconsistent and oppressive. A widow of ten years 
old, in one of the most enlightened parts of Europe, 
conveys an idea so ludicrous as scarcely to deserve credit, 
were not the fact upon record. But, what will perhaps 
appear equally extravagant, is the circumstance, that on 
the death of the husband of this infant, her father and 
uncle came to an agreement to unite her in the bonds of 
marriage to her other cousin, Prince George Lewis of 
Hanover, then sixteen years of age. It is true the 
ceremony did not take place at Zell till the 28th of 
November, 1682, when the bride had completed her 
sixteenth, and the bridegroom his twenty-second year; 
but it is no less certain, that the engagement was made 
by all the parties, soon after the death of the Prince 
Augustus Frederick of Wolfenbuttel. In the mean time 
Prince George travelled, and made some campaigns; 
while the bride elect completed her education, and 
prepared herself as well as could be expected from one 
of her years, for the important duties of a wife and a 
mother. On the 30th of October, 1683, the princess 
gave her husband a son, who was named George ; and 



XXIX 

four years afterwards she brought him a daughter, named 
Sophia Dorothea, who became the wife of Frederic 
William of Prussia, and mother of Frederick the Great. 
To account for the distance of time between the births of 
these children, it must be observed that Prince George 
Lewis, soon after his marriage, entered again upon the 
military career in Hungary, where he commanded the 
Brunswick troops in the imperial service, and soon after 
took Neuhausel, and raised the siege of Gran. In 1686, 
he was at the taking of Buda; in 1689, he was at the 
capture of Mayence ; and the next year he commanded 
an army of eleven thousand men, in the Spanish Nether- 
lands, where, in 1693, he bore a distinguished part in the 
sanguinary battle of Neerwinden. Soon after this, the 
prince returned to Hanover, but within a few months his 
temper was observed to be much altered, and he either 
looked upon his wife with an eye of jealousy, or his own 
affections were estranged from her and transferred to some 
other object. 

A young German count, named Philip Christopher 
Kbnigsmark, who held the commission of colonel in the 
Swedish service, happened to be then at Hanover, and 
upon him the suspicions of the prince fell, but whether 
from secret information, or any particular observations 
of his own, has never been determined. His IJighness, 
however, is said to have entered the bedchamber of 



XXX 

Sophia Dorothea so suddenly, that Kbnigsmark, in his 
haste to escape, left his hat behind him, which confirmed 
all that had been surmised of an improper intercourse 
between him and the princess, and a separation imme- 
diately took place. Another account, of a darker hue, 
which obtained currency, was that the Prince of Hanover 
actually found Kbnigsmark in the room, and in his fury 
ran him through the body. 

Though this last story appears to be incorrect in the 
principal points, certain it is that the princess was 
arrested, and sent off to the castle of Ahlen, where she 
lingered out a miserable life of two-and-thirty years in 
close confinement, without a trial, or being allowed to see 
any of her family. 

The fate of the colonel was never exactly known, any 
farther than that a report of his having died at Hanover, 
in the month of August, 1694, was transmitted to his 
friends, who were too much accustomed to such calamities 
in their family, to make any stir about the affair. That 
the count came to a violent end, seems to be put beyond 
all doubt by the manner in which he disappeared ; and it 
is remarkable, that some years ago, when the castle of 
Zell underwent repair, the skeleton of a man was found 
beneath one of the floors, which revived the name and 
story of the unfortunate Kbnigsmark. 

With regard to Sophia Dorothea, her connections 



XXXI 

prevented any severer measures from being pursued 
against her than perpetual confinement ; to justify which 
a decree was published at Hanover, asserting that circum- 
stances had been produced in evidence before the 
consistory, of such a nature as warranted the belief that 
she had been unfaithful to her illustrious husband. The 
strongest of these circumstances, however, was that of 
the hat which the prince found in the room; and the 
agitation which the discovery naturally produced in her 
Highness, was at once interpreted into a demonstration of 
conscious guilt. To those who have been accustomed to 
the consideration of criminal charges, and the minute 
investigation of evidence, this case will appear more like 
an occurrence of the iron age, when feudal oppression 
and military despotism prevailed, than an event of the 
seventeenth century, in a country boasting of its juris- 
prudence. 

That no proof of adultery was ever brought forward, is 
certain ; and, for the want of it, the parties could not be 
legally divorced, which they would certainly have been, 
had evidence existed of the criminality of the princess. 
Some there were, even in Hanover, who not only con- 
sidered Sophia Dorothea as perfectly innocent of what 
she was accused of, but as being actually made a victim 
to the prostituted affections of her husband. This opinion 
may now be adopted, without any hazard of refutation or 



xxxn 

of giving offence ; for neither before the accession of the 
Elector of Hanover to the British throne, nor afterwards, 
when such a proceeding became especially necessary, 
as a matter affecting the succession, was the conduct of 
the duchess brought, as it ought to have been, under 
judicial investigation. Had Sophia Dorothea been 
really guilty of an adulterous intercourse with Kbnigs- 
mark, or any other person, the public interest required 
a trial ; but nothing of the kind ever took place, and the 
parties remained in the relation of man and wife to the 
death of the queen in her prison, at the age of sixty, on 
the 2nd of November, 1726. 

It is very extraordinary, and little to the credit of the 
times, that not the slightest notice was ever taken of the 
unhappy Sophia by the English parliament or people, 
after the arrival of her husband. If she was guilty, a 
legal divorce ought to have been called for, upon public 
grounds ; and if she was not, the honor of the nation, 
and the cause of humanity, required her liberation, and 
an establishment in circumstances suited to her high birth 
and royal station. Instead of this, though the mother of 
the heir-apparent, and actually Queen of England, she 
was suffered to linger out her days in a dungeon, while 
the mistress of her husband shone as a peeress of the 
first rank at the English court. 

One person alone ventured to incur the royal displea- 



xxxm 

sure, by advocating the cause of the afflicted and much- 
injured Sophia Dorothea of Zell. This was the prince 
her son ; who was so fully convinced of his mother's inno- 
cence, (and he was not ignorant of all that had been 
alleged against her,) that on many occasions he re- 
proached his father for his injustice towards her, and 
openly declared his intention of bringing her to England, 
and acknowledging her as Queen Dowager, in the event 
of his succeeding to the crown while she was living. 

This virtuous resolution he was only prevented from 
carrying into execution by the death of his unhappy 
mother, six months before that of her husband. The 
prince made several attempts to get access to his im- 
prisoned parent; but all his efforts to accomplish his 
praiseworthy object proved unavailing, by the vigilance of 
the guards. 

He was so sensibly affected upon this point, that he 
had the picture of Sophia Dorothea painted, in her royal 
robes, long before he came to the crown ; and this por- 
trait he caused to be so placed as to attract the notice of 
all his visitors ; which gave such offence to the King, that 
he not only declined going himself to see the prince and 
princess, but forbade his courtiers from shewing them 
that respect. It was also owing to this sentiment of filial 
regard, that George II., when in a passion, always took 
off his hat and kicked it about the floor, without con- 



XX XIV 

sidering the place or the company. Thus it is that early 
impressions, once fixed in the mind, create habits ; and 
circumstances, by an association of ideas with events long 
since passed away, excite either disagreeable or pleasing 
emotions. In allusion to this remarkable history, and the 
effect which it had on the mind of the King, Dr. Hoadley, 
the physician, wrote his comedy of " The Suspicious 
Husband;" the plot of which turns upon an incident 
similar to that which proved so disastrous to the Princess 
of Hanover. With this play, George II., who had little 
taste for the drama, was much delighted. 

In |707, the Duke of Hanover commanded the army 
of the German confederates upon the Rhine, where he 
soon turned the scale against the French, who had hitherto 
been very successful under Marshal Villars. For his 
services during that and the two following campaigns, he 
was put into full possession of his rights as Elector, in 
which capacity he acted at the coronation of the Emperor 
Charles the Sixth, 1711; and two years afterwards, he 
had the satisfaction to have his claim to the throne of 
Great Britain recognised by the treaty of Utrecht. 

On the first of August, 1714, a day remarkably auspi- 
cious to the House of Brunswick, Queen Anne died; 
which event was kept secret from the public for some time, 
the privy council being at a loss how to act, till the Duke 
of Argyle opened the window, and made it known. This 



XXXV 

produced an electrical effect. The populace outside 
vociferated, " God save King George;" and the formal 
proclamation immediately ensued. The Earl of Dorset 
was despatched to Hanover, where he found the King in 
his flower-garden, or, as some said, in a field of turnips. 
His Majesty, however, was in no haste to take possession 
of the throne. He left Herenhausen on the last day of 
August, and landed at Greenwich, with the prince, his 
son, on the 16th of September. On the 20th of the 
following month, the coronation took place, when a 
dreadful casualty happened by the fall of some of the 
scaffolding in Palace-yard, which destroyed several lives. 

So great was the assemblage of people on this occasion, 
that the King was astonished, and said to Lady Cowper, 
that it put him in mind of the resurrection: "Well it 
may," replied she, " for it is the resurrection of England, 
and of all good Englishmen." 

The following account of George the First was 
written in 1705, by Toland, who then visited the court of 
Hanover, as the secret agent of the whig party : — 

" The Elector George Louis was born in the year 1660. 
He is a middle-sized, well-proportioned man, of a gen- 
teel address and good appearance. He is not much 
addicted to any diversion except hunting. He is reserved, 
speaks little, but judiciously. He understands our con- 
stitution the least of any foreigner I ever knew; and 



XXXVI 

though he is well versed in the art of war, and of invincible 
courage, having often exposed his person to great dangers 
in Hungary, in the Morea, on the Rhine, and in Flanders, 
yet he is naturally of very peaceable inclinations. He is 
a perfect man of business, exactly regular in the economy 
of his resources, reads all despatches himself at first 
hand, and writes most of his own letters. I need give no 
more particular proof of his frugality in laying out the 
public money, than that all the expenses of his court (as 
to eating, drinking, fire and candles, and the like) are 
duly paid every Saturday night. The officers of his 
army receive their pay every month, as likewise his 
envoys in every part of Europe ; and all the officers of the 
household, with the rest that are on the civil list, are 
cleared off every half-year." 

The King had such an imperfect knowledge of the 
English language, that the only method of communication 
between him and his ministers who could not speak 
French or German, was in bad Latin. On his arrival, 
he said to his council, that as he knew very little of the 
constitution and laws of the country, he should put 
himself entirely in their hands, and be directed by them ; 
" in which case," said he, " you will be answerable for 
every thing I do." 

The first time Sir Peter King, then Recorder of 
London, attended the levee, His Majesty said, "As you, 



XXXV11 

from your office, must have much local information of 
London, and a perfect acquaintance with the good 
citizens, to whom I am at present a stranger, I think it 
necessary to make a statement of my principles : — I never 
forsake a friend ; I will endeavour to do justice to every 
body; and I fear nobody." 

But, unfortunately, however upright might be his own 
intentions, the King was made by his ministers to 
sanction many harsh and cruel measures. 

The highland chiefs sent up, immediately after the 
accession of the King, a declaration of loyal attachment, 
but the cabinet kept it from their master; which so 
irritated the clans, that a rebellion broke out the next 
year. This was not all ; for the ministers even went so 
far as to insult some of the first nobility. Among these 
was the Duke of Somerset, a man whose loftiness of 
spirit made his name proverbial for pride. Soon after 
the arrival of the King, the duke accepted the office of 
master of the horse, and he continued in high favor at 
court, till a circumstance occurred which induced him to 
give up the place. The government, apprehensive of an 
insurrection in favor of the Pretender, as the son of 
James the Second was called, issued general warrants 
for taking up suspicious persons. Among the rest was 
the celebrated Sir William Wyndham, the friend of 
Bolingbroke; but as the baronet had married the daughter 



xxxvm 

of the Duke of Somerset, it was thought respectful to 
acquaint his grace with the intention of laying a restraint 
upon his son-in-law, to prevent his embarking in a 
rebellion. The duke was much hurt at this intimation, 
and being confident that Sir William had no such designs, 
he pledged himself as a security for his loyalty; in conse- 
quence of which, he obtained the royal promise that the 
baronet should not be molested. Notwithstanding this, 
the ministry, without any regard to their master's honor, 
caused Sir William to be seized in the country, and com- 
mitted him to the Tower. The duke, on being informed of 
this act, immediately hastened to court, and resigned bis 
post, saying, " that he scorned to serve a master who 
had lie meanness to break his word." In vain did the 
King offer an apology, and declare his entire ignorance 
of what had happened: the duke would listen to no 
excuses ; but retired, and caused the regalia to be con- 
veyed in a cart to the palace gate, where the whole was 
thrown out as common rubbish. 

Though the rebellion was soon suppressed, the severi- 
ties inflicted upon all persons who were barely suspected 
of an attachment to the exiled family, served to irritate 
the people, and to increase the number of the disaffected. 
A compositor, only nineteen years old, was hanged at 
Tyburn, for no other crime than printing a seditious 
pamphlet. An exemplary and learned divine, for writing 



XXXIX 

a tract against the dissenters, suffered this extraordinary 
sentence — " to pay a fine of five hundred pounds to the 
King; to remain in prison three years; to find 
sureties of five hundred pounds each, and to be 
bound himself in one thousand pounds, for his good 
behaviour during life; to be twice publicly whipped; 
to be degraded, and stripped of his gown by the hands 
of the executioner;" which savage judgment was in- 
flicted to the utmost extent, and the poor man died in 
Newgate. 

Such was the mercy, and respect for liberty, displayed 
by the whigs, when in possession of power; and how 
much they contrived to abuse the trust reposed in them 
by the King, appears from the following remarkable 
circumstance, related by Bishop Newton : — 

When Dr. Younger was abroad upon his travels, he 
passed some time at the court of Hanover, where he was 
well received and esteemed by the Princess Sophia and her 
family, before they came to England. At the accession 
of George the First, Dr. Younger was Dean of Salisbury, 
residentiary of St. Paul's, and deputy clerk of the closet, 
in which station he had served under Queen Anne, and 
was continued by her successor. The King was very glad 
to renew his acquaintance with him ; and in the closet, as 
the doctor stood waiting behind his chair, His Majesty 
would often turn and talk with him ; and the more as 



xl 

Dr. Younger did, what few could do, converse with the 
King in German. The King used to call him his " Little 
Dean," and was so condescending and gracious to him, 
that he was looked upon in some measure as a favorite, 
and likely to rise to higher preferment. This was by no 
means agreeable to the ministers ; for Dr. Younger was 
reputed to be what they called a tory ; and accordingly, 
an official letter was sent to dismiss him, the King having 
no farther occasion for his service. It was not long 
before he was missed by the King, who asked what was 
become of his Little Dean. It was answered that he was 
dead. "Dead !" said the King; " I am very sorry for it, 
as I intended to have done something for him." This the 
ministers understood well enough, and therefore had 
removed him out of the way. SugIi an imposition, one 
would think, could hardly have been put upon the 
sovereign of any country, and least of all in this. It did 
not, however, escape detection ; for, some time after, the 
King went on a progress into the west of England, and 
among other places visited Salisbury, where in the 
cathedral, seeing the dean, he called him eagerly, and said, 
"My Little Dean, I am glad to see you alive: they told 
me you were dead ; but where have you been all this 
while, and what has prevented my seeing you as usual J" 
The dean mentioned the letter of dismissal which he had 
received, and said he thought that it would ill become him 






xli 

after that to give His Majesty any farther trouble. " Oh !" 
said the King warmly, "I see how the matter is; but," 
with an oath, " you shall be the first bishop that I will 
make for all this." It happened, however, that Dr. 
Younger, being advanced in years, died before any 
bishop ; so that he never obtained the good effect of the 
King's gracious intentions. 

Another eminent divine, who was more of a politician 
than Dean Younger, played his cards with such dexterity 
as to secure preferment, without offending either the 
ministers or the King. This was Dr. Nicholas Lockyer, 
who in the former part of his life had been chaplain to the 
factory at Hamburgh, from whence he made it a rule to 
go once a year to pay his respects at the court of Hanover ; 
by which means he became very intimate with the elector, 
who knew how to temper the cares of royalty with the 
pleasures of private life, and commonly, after his accession 
to the English throne, had a small party of select friends 
to spend the evening with him. His Majesty seeing 
Dr. Lockyer one day at court, spoke to the Duchess of 
Ancaster, who was generally one of the party, and desired 
her to ask the doctor to visit him that evening. When, 
however, the company assembled, the doctor was not 
there ; and the King asked the duchess if she had spoken 
to him as he had desired. " Yes," she replied, " but the 
doctor presents his humble duty to Your Majesty, and 
begs to be excused at present, as he is soliciting some 



xlii 



preferment from your ministers, and he fears it might be 
an obstacle to him if it should be known that he had 
the honor of keeping Your Majesty company." The 
King laughed heartily, and said he believed the doctor 
was in the right. Shortly afterwards, Dr. Lockyer kissed 
the King's hand for the deanery of Peterborough ; and 
while he was raising himself from kneeling, the King 
stooped forward, and whispered in his ear, " Well now, 
doctor, you will not be afraid to come in an evening : I 
would have you come this evening." 

The following curious anecdote, related by Cibber, is a 
proof of the shrewdness of George the First. He was fond 
of Shakspeare's play of Henry the Eighth, which he caused 
to be acted before him at Hampton Court, by a private 
party of comedians, under the direction of Sir Richard 
Steele. At this performance, the King had the play in 
his hand, in French; and during the representation he 
was observed to be remarkably attentive, particularly in 
that scene where the monarch directs Wolsey to send 
letters of indemnity to the refractory counties ; which in- 
junction the crafty cardinal thus communicates in a whis- 
per to his secretary Cromwell : — 

" .... A word with you ! 
Let there be letters writ to every shire, 
Of the King's grace and pardon. The grieved commons 
Hardly conceive of me. Let it be noised 
That through our intercession this revokement 
And pardon comes." 



xliii 

The King upon this could not help smiling at the cunning 
of the minister, in filching from his master the credit of 
a good action, though the cardinal himself was the very 
author of the evil which occasioned public complaint. 
Turning to the Prince of Wales, who sat by him, he said* 
M You see, George, what you have one day to expect : 
an English minister will be an English minister in every 
age." 

At the first masked ball given in honor of him after 
his arrival, a lady, whose name was not known, followed 
the King as though he had been a stranger, and invited 
him to drink a glass of wine with her at one of the beau- 
fets; which challenge be readily accepted. The lady, 
filling a bumper, said, " Here, mask, the Pretender's 
health;" and filling another glass, handed it to the 
King, who received it pleasantly, and said, " Madam, I 
drink with all my heart to the health of all unfortunate 
princes." 

On another occasion, while he was travelling, the coach 
broke down, and he was obliged to stop some time at the 
house of a country gentleman, till the accident was re- 
paired. It happened that the owner of the mansion was 
a zealous adherent to the exiled family ; and in the par- 
lour where the King sat, was a portrait of the Pretender, 
placed in a most honorable situation. The gentleman 

was much confused when he saw the King fix his eyes 

d2 



xliv 

upon the picture; but His Majesty relieved him by saying, 
"Upon my honor, it is an excellent likeness; and a 
performance that does credit to the artist." 

When Lord Nithisdale made his escape from the Tower, 
in female disguise, on the night preceding the day in- 
tended for his execution, the lieutenant hastened to court, 
in a great trepidation, to communicate what had hap- 
pened. The King, observing from his manner that he 
was under a terrible alarm, asked what was the matter ; 
and being told that Lord Nithisdale had got out of the 
Tower, no one knew how, " Oh, is that all?" replied His 
Majesty ; ¥. I think he was much in the right of it ; so you 
may make yourself perfectly easy." Lady Nithisdale, 
however, who effected the escape of her husband, tells a 
different story. 

Notwithstanding the ridicule which the whigs had in- 
curred by their foolish impeachment of Dr. Sacheverel 
in the late reign, they had so little discretion as to pro- 
pose another prosecution which would have been equally 
disgraceful. Dr. Trapp, a popular preacher in the city, 
was said to have made some very strong and unseason- 
able reflections upon the reigning family, in a sermon 
delivered at St. Paul's, on the 30th of January; which 
being reported to the Earl of Sunderland, president of 
the council, he waited upon the King to inform him of it, 
saying that it was proper to put a stop to such insolence. 



xlv 

His Majesty inquired the character of the doctor ; " Oh, 
sir," said his lordship, " he is the most violent, hot, posi- 
tive fellow in the kingdom ; and so extremely wilful, that 
I believe he would very readily be a martyr/' The King 
answered, " Is he so ? then I am resolved to disappoint 
him;" and never would hear a word more of the com- 
plaint. 

Nothing seems to have hurt the King more than the 
trouble which he experienced in obtaining supplies. 
Bred up in customs totally different from those of the 
English constitution in relation to government, he could 
ill endure a dependence upon the will of Parliament for 
the raising of money. Hence he oftentimes complained 
to his friends that he was " come to England to be a 
begging King ;" adding, that he " thought it hard to find 
such difficulty in obtaining subsidies which were to be 
applied solely for the benefit of the nation." 

But though, from a want of knowing the character of 
the country which he governed, he had comparatively 
little personal weight in England, his influence was con- 
siderable abroad, and all the states of Europe paid the 
tribute of respect to his talents as a politician ; in which 
capacity he supported the glory of the nation with vigor, 
and strengthened its interests on the continent by his 
alliances with the great powers. 

Dr. Savage, who was called by his friends the Aris- 



xlvi 



tippus of his day, coming to court after his return from 
making the tour of Europe with the Earl of Salisbury, the 
King entered into discourse with him about his travels. 
Among other questions, he asked the doctor how long he 
staid at Rome. The doctor said he was there near two 
months. " Why," said the King, " you was there long 
enough, how came you not to convert the pope ?" " Be- 
cause, sir," replied the doctor, " I had nothing better to 
offer him:" at which His Majesty laughed heartily. 

The King was temperate in his mode of living, though 
fond of delicacies, and particularly of peaches stewed in 
brandy, which he first tasted on a visit to old Lady 
St. John, at Battersea. In consequence of the pleasure 
which he expressed at this novelty, her ladyship regu- 
larly furnished him with a sufficient quantity to last the 
year round, he eating two every night. 

This little present the King took very kindly ; but one 
season proved fatal to fruit-trees, so that Lady St. John 
could send His Majesty only half the quantity, desiring 
him to use economy, for they would barely serve him 
during the year at one each night. Being thus forced by 
necessity to retrench, His Majesty said he would eat two 
every other night. This resolution he carried into effect; 
and he valued himself more upon the act of mortification 
to which he thus submitted, than if he had yielded to the 
temptation of taking one every night; and it was un- 



xlvii 



doubtedly an excellent compromise between frugality and 
epicurism. 

The King had a general knowledge of literature, and 
was so much attached to Leibnitz that he entered warmly 
into the controversy between him and Sir Isaac Newton, 
by appointing a commission to examine their respective 
claims to the discovery of fluxions, the result of which 
was so honorable to our illustrious countryman. 

Leibnitz, however, had the credit of being the first to 
throw light on the early history of the House of Bruns- 
wick, and its Italian origin, which induced the Elector 
of Hanover to enter into a correspondence with the 
Princes of Este, for the purpose of exploring the 
archives of their family. The consequence of this was, 
that Muratori was employed to examine the ducal library 
at Modena; and hence arose from his labors the 
" Origines GuELFiCiE, or the Antiquities of the 
Houses of Este and Brunswick." 

I cannot pretend to know whether this monarch, in his 
regard for Leibnitz, embraced the philosophic doctrines 
of his ingenious countryman; but that he was a fatalist 
appears from the account of an historian who was 
personally acquainted with him, and who says that he 
carried the principle of destiny so far as to put faith in 
signs, dreams and omens,, which the good women who 



xlviii 

accompanied him in his campaigns, declared were very 
propitious. 

The King had a favorite servant, called Mahomet, 
This man was taken prisoner by the elector, when com- 
manding the Imperialists in the wars against the Turks. 
Mahomet was an Albanian by birth, but became a 
Lutheran upon principle, and used to attend the German 
chapel in the Savoy regularly. Every Saturday he 
visited one or other of the prisons in the metropolis, for 
the purpose of releasing a debtor, provided the sum for 
which the poor man was confined did not exceed the 
finances of the philanthropist. Of the influence of Maho- 
met over his royal master, the following story is a proof: — 

When the King visited Winchester, as it happened to 
be on the Saturday, all the country people came into the 
town the next morning, expecting to see His Majesty go 
to the cathedral. 

The corporation also looked for the honor of attending 
the monarch to church; but when assembled in all 
formality, they were told that the King did not intend 
to leave his apartment that day. This was a sad disap- 
pointment ; and the mayor frankly told some of the lords 
in waiting, that serious consequences might follow. The 
lords spoke to the King, who still refused to stir out of 
doors. In this dilemma, application was made to 



xlix 

Mahomet, who saw the matter in a proper light, and 
undertook to bring his master to reason. Accordingly he 
entered the room, and says, " You go to church to-day ?" 
"No," replies His Majesty. "What! you no go to 
church! The people all come to see you go to church. 
They think you have got two heads. You go to church, 
and shew them that you have but one." The King laughed, 
dressed himself, and went to the cathedral, amidst the 
cheers of the population. 

There is a fine portrait of Mahomet in the palace of 
Kensington. He died in 1726. 

George the First was fond of music, and, to engage 
Handel in his service at Hanover, gave him a pension of 
fifteen hundred crowns a year, and the place of master of 
the chapel. Afterwards Handel obtained leave of absence 
for twelve months; but being pleased with England, he 
never returned to Hanover. In consequence of this 
delinquency, when Queen Anne died, the musician did 
not dare to go to court. However, his old friend Baron 
Kilmanseg contrived a method of reinstating him in the 
royal favor. The King was persuaded to form a party on 
the water: Handel was apprised of the design, and 
advised to prepare some music for the occasion. It was 
performed under his own direction; and His Majesty, 
whose pleasure was as great as his surprise, asked whose 
music it was. The baron then produced Handel as one 



1 



desirous of making atonement for his offence. His 
submission was accepted, and the pension was not only 
renewed, but enlarged. 

When Marshal Broglio was in England, at the beginning 
of this reign, a debate arose in conversation, between 
the King and him, concerning the disposition of the troops 
at the battle of Ramillies, and likewise respecting the 
behaviour of the French household troops on that occa- 
sion. His Majesty insisted that those troops were totally 
thrown into disorder, and fled. The marshal took the 
liberty of differing from the King, by saying that they 
behaved with their usual bravery, and were of infinite 
service in covering the retreat of the army. The King 
appealed to General Cadogan, who was present in that 
battle, and he gave his opinion in favor of His Majesty. 
But the marshal still said, " I must really beg leave to 
dissent from your lordship, because I was upon the field 
during the whole action, and I never saw troops behave 
with greater intrepidity in my life." The general replied 
pleasantly, " I grant what your excellency says to be true ; 
but I was upon the field after the action, and I never 
saw troops in a greater panic, since I knew what it was 
to pursue an enemy." The marshal was sensibly mortified, 
and His Majesty perceiving him to look grave, took 
occasion, upon the approach of some ladies, to turn the 
discourse into gallantry. 



li 

The death of George I. was awfully sudden. On the 
3rd of June, 1727, he embarked at Greenwich ; landed at 
Vaert in Holland on the 7th, and proceeded from thence 
to Utrecht by land. He arrived at Delden on the 9th, to 
all appearance in perfect health ; and after supper took 
part of a melon, which it was supposed disagreed with 
him. Early the next morning he set out on his journey, 
but had not travelled far before he felt some griping pains, 
which increased to such a degree, that on reaching Lindau, 
he could eat nothing. Upon this he was bled, and took 
some medicine. Being exceedingly anxious to reach 
Hanover, he ordered his people to drive on with all speed, 
but soon became lethargic ; and, falling into the arms of 
Baron Fabricius, the only person with him in the carriage, 
he said, " Je suis mort." He continued, however, in this 
state till he arrived at Osnaburg, where his brother re- 
sided, in whose arms he breathed his last about midnight. 

George I. had, as before observed, by the unfortunate 
Sophia Dorothea of Zell, two children : — George, who 
succeeded him ; and Sophia, wife of Frederic William, 
King of Prussia. She was a woman of considerable talents 
and distinguished virtue, who patronized men of letters, 
and had a fine taste for the arts ; in all which she was a 
perfect contrast to her brutal husband, who had so little 
regard for decorum and humanity, that he frequently 



lil 



abused her with foul language, in the presence of his 
court, and sometimes even proceeded to blows. 

Besides his legitimate issue, George I. had two natural 
daughters, who, as well as their mother, were ennobled 
by patent. One of these daughters married the celebrated 
Earl of Chesterfield, and the other Lord Howe. 

VII. 

George Augustus, the only son of George I., was 
born at Hanover, November 10, 1683. At the age of 
fifteen he became, by the death of his grandfather, Elec- 
toral Prince of Brunswick-Lunenburg. In 1699, he 
accompanied the Duke of Zell on a visit to King William, 
at Loo in Holland, and was received by that monarch with 
the most affectionate tenderness. 

On the 22nd of June, 1705, he married Carolina 
Wilhelmina Dorothea, daughter of John Frederic, 
Margrave of Bamberg- Anspach, by Louisa, daughter of 
George, Duke of S axe-Eisenach, and Janet, Countess of 
Sayn. On the 4th of April, 1706, he was elected a 
Knight of the Garter; and in the same year created 
Duke and Marquis of Cambridge, Earl of Milford Haven, 
Viscount Northallerton, and Baron Tewkesbury. On 
the 22nd of June, 1708, he joined the army of the Duke of 
Marlborough, and was received with the greatest respect 



1111 

by the officers and soldiers. On the 11th of July was 
fought the battle of Oudenarde; when, to use the words of 
a well-informed writer of that period, " the electoral 
Prince of Hanover, inflamed with military ardor, and in 
whom not only the hopes of Great Britain, but every 
virtue was united, came now to make his first campaign, 
and acquaint himself with the British customs, and the 
art of war. No sooner were the bridges prepared and 
fixed, than the prince, through a greatness of soul 
peculiar to himself, having obtained the Duke of Marl- 
borough's leave, passed the Scheldt with great resolution, 
among the foremost; and placing himself sometimes at 
the head of his father's horse, and sometimes of Brigadier 
Sabine's battalion, he, with incomparable valor, over- 
threw the enemy, which were posted on the other side to 
prevent the confederates from passing the river. For 
some time the engagement was without any considerable 
advantage on either side, and the confederates had long 
sustained the assault of a large body of the enemy. At 
length the Duke of Marlborough sent them a reinforce- 
ment of fresh troops ; but, either through their marching 
too slowly, or the difficulty of passing the river, it so 
happened, that the whole glory of the first attack was 
ascribed to the Prince of Hanover and his party. As 
soon as the French perceived our colors and standards 
advancing, they began to take possession of the rising 



liv 



grounds : and having sent away their baggage on both 
sides, the battle was continued a long time, and the enemy 
were vanquished. 

" The time of this engagement was of great importance 
to the confederates, for their own safety, and their victory 
over the enemy: for the French were not in any good 
order, nor under any certain command; insomuch that 
they had hardly drawn up their army that day, but fought 
in loose bodies. When, about three o'clock, they were 
drawing off their forces from the left wing to the right, 
Major-General Cadogan, improving that opportunity, 
ordered Brigadier Sabine to attack seven of the enemy's 
battalions in the village of Heysem, while the Count de 
Bulau, who commanded the Hanoverians, and Major- 
General Rantzau, fell upon their horse, which were 
marching along the plain, and drove them into the 
hedges. This was a very dangerous attempt; but the 
youthful vigor and magnanimity of the Prince of 
Hanover, and the confidence he had in the happy event, 
contributed very much both to the trial and success of it- 
Three of these battalions were taken in the town; the 
rest escaped by flight. The enemy's horse also, being 
routed by Bulau and Rantzau, turned their backs, leaving 
behind them many of their men, and twelve standards, 
and fled to the neighbouring hills. In the mean while, 
Major-General Cadogan being sent out with a few 



lv 

squadrons and battalions, withstood all the force of the 
enemy, and kept possession of the hedges with great 
resolution. 

"The Prince of Hanover, by his presence, inspired 
the soldiers with high spirits ; and, regardless of all 
dangers, threw himself among the thickest of the enemy. 
When his horse was killed, he mounted another, and 
exhorting the soldiers, advanced again with Colonel 
Luschki's squadron ; and though Luschki was slain close 
by his side, yet was he not afraid, but led on the squadron 
himself; and now, inflamed with hopes of victory, he 
broke through and routed the strongest body of the 
enemy's forces. On that day this excellent young prince 
discovered such courage, as no man living ought to forget, 
and as all posterity will never surpass. And in England 
it was said he had in this battle made his fortune equal 
to his virtue."* 

The Prince of Hanover may truly be said to have 
fought for the crown on this memorable day; since he 
was opposed to the son of James the Second, who served 
under the Duke of Burgundy ; but, if we are to give 
credit to the enemies of the House of Stuart, he did not 
gain much credit in a battle on which in a great degree 
depended the fortunes of his family. At this time, 

* Cunningham's History of Great Britain. 



Ivi 

certainly, the succession to the British throne was in a 
problematical state, for the Queen was known to lean in 
favor of her brother-in-law; and as the Elector of 
Hanover was then separated, but not divorced from his 
wife, there were grounds enough to encourage the hopes 
of the exiled family and their friends. The victory of 
Oudenarde, and the prominent figure which the electoral 
prince made in it, tended, however, to animate the 
confidence of those who were attached to the Hanoverian 
interests; and had not the Queen continued to oppose the 
measure with all her spirit, his Highness would have been 
called over to reside here, in order to improve himself in 
the knowledge of the constitution, and to become 
familiarized to the language and manners of the people. 

Little more is known of his private life, till the acces- 
sion of his father to the throne, when he came to England 
with him, and being declared Prince of Wales, took his 
place at the council board. The princess his wife, and 
two of her children, followed, and took up their residence 
at St. James's palace, where they all lived, till her Royal 
Highness was delivered of a son, in 1717, who was named 
George William, and died three months afterwards. 

On the very day of the christening, a violent quarrel 
arose between the King and the prince, which proceeded 
to such a height that the latter was ordered to quit the 
palace, with his family, the next morning. The cause 



lvii 



of this bitter contention was never exactly known, but it 
went to such a length, that within a month, the King 
signified his pleasure to all the peers and peeresses of 
Great Britain and Ireland, and to all privy councillors 
and their wives, that if any of them went to pay their 
respects to the Prince and Princess of Wales, they 
should not come into His Majesty's presence. 

On the 15th of April, 1721, the princess was delivered 
of another son at Leicester House ; but the christening 
was so very private, on account of the royal displeasure, 
that none of the nobility were present. This was the first 
of the family born in England, that lived to maturity ; and 
he afterwards added considerably to the splendor of his 
house as William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. 

When the intelligence arrived of the death of George 
the First, his son and the princess were at Richmond, to 
which place Sir Robert Walpole, the minister, hastened 
with the utmost speed, and under no little anxiety ; for he 
had lost a good master, and was going to those who he 
well knew had a personal dislike to him. The minister 
had indeed grossly offended, both in a manner and under 
circumstances that rendered it very unlikely that it would 
ever be forgot or forgiven. At the time when the 
difference between the late King and the prince was at 
the height, a negociation was going on between some of 
the members of the opposition, and the ministry ; in the 



lviii 

course of which, Pulteney, afterwards Earl of Bath, took 
upon him to ask Sir Robert Walpole whether any terms 
had been made for the prince: "Yes," said Sir Robert, 
with a sneer, " he is to go to court again, and will have 
his drums and his guards, and such fine things." Being 
farther asked whether the prince would be left regent in 
case the King left England, the answer was, " No, why 
should he ? He does not deserve it. We have done too 
much for him already ; and if it were to be done again, 
he should not have so much." 

The treatment of the princess was still more coarse. 
During the schism among the whigs, Sir Robert, who was 
the leading man of his party, objected to the proposed 
plan of forming a junction with the prince, observing 
that, "however much they might depend upon his Royal 
Highness, there was no relying upon the sincerity of his fat 
bitch of a wife." This was reported, with exaggerations 
of a more offensive description, to the princess, who had 
so complete an ascendancy over her husband, that every 
one who knew of the affair made sure of the downfall of 
the minister, in the event of any thing happening to the 
King. Sir Robert was well aware of the error he had 
committed, and of the advantages likely to be taken of 
his imprudence ; but he had address enough to ward off 
the danger by an appeal to a principle that be knew 
would subdue even royal resentment. His scheme sue- 



lix 

ceeded, at the very critical time when it was generally 
expected he would be covered with disgrace. Knowing 
that it was the design of Sir Spencer Compton, his 
intended successor, to propose a dower of sixty thousand 
pounds a year for the Queen, he contrived to let Her 
Majesty know, while he waited at Richmond, that if he 
continued in office, he would secure her a settlement of 
one hundred thousand pounds, and enlarge the civil list 
besides. This had the proper effect, and Caroline said to 
the negociator, " Let Sir Robert know that the fat bitch 
has forgiven him." Accordingly, she seized the first 
opportunity of persuading her husband, that, considering 
how well Sir Robert had served the late King, she 
thought he would be equally useful in the present reign. 
The hint was well taken, and, to the surprise of the 
political world, the old minister, instead of being displaced, 
shone forth with increased splendor. 

Soon after the accession of George the Second, he was 
desirous of extending his alliance with the House of 
Prussia, by a double marriage between their respective 
children. Accordingly, Sir Charles Hotham was sent 
over as minister plenipotentiary, to propose a union 
between Frederic Prince of Wales, and the Princess 
Royal of Prussia; and another between the Prince 
Royal of Prussia and the second daughter of the King 
of England. His Prussian Majesty's answer was, "that 

e 2 



lx 

he would consent to the marriage of his Prince Royal 
with our Princess, if George did not insist upon a double 
union, on the terms proposed; but that if he did, he 
would not consent to either one or the other; for he 
thought he had as much right to expect our Princess 
Royal for his eldest son, as our King had to expect his 
Princess Royal for the Prince of Wales." The two 
Kings being equally obstinate, and equally passionate, 
there was an end of the negociation, but not of the 
difference. 

A dispute relative to Mecklenburg happening nearly at 
the same time between the two monarchs, tended to 
heighten the animosity caused by the former quarrel. 

Levies of men were forcibly raised in the Hanoverian 
dominions by Prussian emissaries, and these proceedings 
occasioned retaliations on the part of Hanover. But 
after all, the two monarchs felt themselves more offended 
in their private than their public character. Being both 
men of fiery temper, they at last agreed to settle their 
disputes by a personal combat. 

King George made choice of General Sutton, after- 
wards Lord Lexington, for his second, and Frederic 
appointed Colonel Derscheim to attend him to the field. 
The territory of Hildesheim was pitched upon for the 
place of meeting; His Britannic Majesty being then at 
Hanover, and the King of Prussia at Saltzdahl, near 



lxi 

Brunswick. Baron Borcb, the Prussian minister at the 
court of London, having been dismissed from thence in a 
very abrupt manner, repaired to his master at the last- 
mentioned place; and finding him in an outrageous 
passion, did not think proper to dissuade him from his 
purpose. On the contrary, he affected to approve of the 
measure, and even offered to carry the challenge; but 
about an hour afterwards, coming into the King's apart- 
ment, he said, " Sire, I allow that Your Majesty's 
quarrel is not to be terminated in any other way than by 
a duel, but as you are just recovered from a dangerous 
illness, and your health is still very precarious, should you 
be taken with a relapse the day before the interview, or 
perhaps on the very spot, what would the world say, and 
how would the King of England boast? How many 
scandalous constructions would be put upon the accident? 
What an odious suspicion might it not bring on Your 
Majesty's courage? These things considered, do not 
you think, Sire, it would be better to delay the meeting 
for a fortnight ?" 

The King yielded reluctantly to this reasoning, and 
meanwhile the ministers on both sides succeeded, through 
the mediation of the states of Holland, in effecting a 
pacification, though not a restoration of friendship. 

The education of George the Second had been much 



lxii 



neglected, and he had no taste either for literature or 
the arts. 

On being told that Lord Hervey was the author of 
some fine poetry, he said to him the next time he came 
to court, " They do tell me that you write varse; that is 
very wrong for a nobleman; you should leave writing 
varse to little Mr. Pope, for it is his trade." 

At another time, when some piece of Pope's was 
spoken of in high terms, the King said, " Pshaw! why 
does that man fool away his time in making varse ? why 
does he not write pross, which every body may understand?" 

His judgment of the drama was no less contemptible. 
When he went to see Garrick play Richard the Third, 
he took not the least notice of that great performer, 
though the latter exerted himself to the utmost, to gain 
the royal attention. But when a low actor came upon 
the stage, in the costume of the lord mayor, the King 
took off his hat, and made a bow, saying to the nobleman 
next him, " That is the lord mayor of London; I do 
always pay my respects to the lord mayor !" 

This was said loud enough to be heard all around; 
and while some laughed, and others stared, Garrick in a 
low tone said, " What a pity he does not understand 
English!" 

Of painting and engraving, his ideas were equally 
contracted. When Hogarth had finished his fine print 



Jxm 

of the March of the Guards to Finchley, he carried a 
proof to St. James's, thinking to obtain permission to 
dedicate it to His Majesty. Lord Chesterfield, and 
others of the nobility, were quite delighted with it ; but 
as soon as the King saw it, he flew into a passion, and 
asked Hogarth "how he dared to ridicule his brave 
guards ?" then threw him a guinea, and told him to take 
away his damned picture. 

The disappointed artist, out of revenge, then dedicated 
the print to the King of Prussia, Frederic the Great, as 
a judge and patron of the arts. 

His Queen, on the other hand, affected the philosophical 
character. It was at her desire, when Princess of Wales, 
that Newton undertook his f Chronology of Ancient 
Kingdoms." She also patronized the great Dr. Clarke, 
and his friend, the honest enthusiast, William Whiston. 
Savage, the poet, was another of her pensioners ; but 
with more generosity than judgment, she took poor 
Stephen Duck under her protection, and from thrashing 
in a barn, put him into the church. 

Queen Caroline was fond of literary conversation, to 
enjoy which, she gave a dinner once a week to select 
parties. At these entertainments, every thing was 
conducted upon the principle of equality. 

At one time, Dr. Bentley having been helped to some 
custard pudding, found it so hot that he threw what he 



Ixiv 

had taken back again upon the plate. On his attempting 
an apology, the Queen interrupted him, saying, " Make 
no excuses, doctor ; 'tis well it's no worse : had you been 
a fool, you would have burnt your mouth." 

The Queen once said to Whiston, " I hear you are 
good at telling persons their faults. Now, as every body 
has some fault or other, I should like to know what you 
have observed wrong in me." Whiston would have 
evaded answering the question ; but the Queen was not 
to be denied. "Why then, Madam," said Whiston, 
" the people complain, that you talk to the King when at 
chapel, instead of minding the service." " I believe," 
answered Her Majesty, " there is some truth in what you 
say. But now tell me of another fault." " No, Madam," 
said the old monitor ; " let me see you mend the first, 
before I mention another." 

The clerk of the closet to the Queen, Dr. Isaac Madox, 
afterwards Bishop of Worcester, was a very extraor- 
dinary man. He was first apprenticed to a pastry-cook, 
and next became a student in one of the dissenting 
academies. Not liking that persuasion, he got ordained, 
and from a curacy in the city, rose to the above situation 
in the royal household. He had not been long there, 
when he began to make his observations on the health 
of the principal dignitaries, that he might take his 
measures for promotion in time. Finding that the Dean 



Ixv 

of Bath and Wells was not likely to hold out long, he 
placed a trusty person near at hand, to let him know when 
the dean departed. The Queen had a custom every 
afternoon, if the weather permitted, of walking alone in 
her private garden; at which time no person was allowed 
to break in upon her meditations. It was at this critical 
moment, that the messenger brought to Madox the 
welcome news of the death of the Dean of Bath and 
Wells. Time pressed, and Madox, though he knew it 
was hazarding the royal displeasure, resolved to throw 
himself upon the Queen's goodness. He knocked at the 
door, and Her Majesty on opening it, asked what he 
wanted. He told his tale, requested forgiveness for his 
intrusion, and concluded by intreating that she would 
obtain for him the vacant deanery by an immediate 
application to the King. Provoked at the interruption of 
her contemplations, she shut the door hastily, saying, " I 
don't know, Madox, whether I shall or not." After 
taking another turn, however, her passion subsided ; she 
went and got the promise desired. Scarcely was this 
object attained, when the Bishop of London arrived to 
recommend a friend of his for the deanery. The King 
told him it was disposed of; " Indeed," said the prelate ; 
" why, the dean died only a few hours ago ! May I take 
the liberty of asking who has been so quick in his appli- 
cation?" When told that it was Dr. Madox, the bishop 



lxvi 

said, " Ah, he is an enterprising man." This was true, 
for he laid down three rules to himself: — 1. To lose 
nothing for want of asking. 2. Not to take a denial. 
3. To solicit for no one but himself. 

Some time afterwards, the bishopric of St. Asaph fell 
vacant, upon which the doctor applied to his good friend 
the Queen, and with the same success. But when he 
asked the royal permission to retain the deanery also, on 
account of his zeal for whig principles, the King, who 
saw through his pretext, refused his consent. Ulti- 
mately he became Bishop of Worcester, and died in 
1759. 

Another clerical favorite of Queen Caroline was the 
celebrated Dr. Berkeley. This great man and Dr. Clarke, 
Rector of St. James's, used to hold disputations on 
metaphysical questions in Her Majesty's apartment, where 
Bishop Sherlock supported Berkeley, and Bishop Hoadley 
took the side of Clarke. For Dr. Berkeley the Queen 
obtained the deanery of Derry, and afterwards the 
bishopric of Cloyne. 

To this excellent woman the Church of England was 
indebted, for the honor of enrolling in her hierarchy those 
two valuable ornaments of letters and religion, Butler and 
Seeker. When the former was preacher at the Rolls, 
he became a frequent visitor of the Queen, who took as 
great a pleasure in his conversation as she did in the 



lxvii 

perusal of his incomparable book on " The Analogy of 
Natural and Revealed Religion." 

After his preferment to a rectory in the north of 
England, the Queen missed his company, and asked 
Archbishop Blackburne "whether Dr. Butler was dead?" 
"No, Madam," said he; " but he is buried." Shortly 
after Dr. Butler was sent for, and made clerk of the closet 
to the Queen. In 1738, he was made Bishop of Bristol, 
and lastly of Durham. 

Though the Queen had such an ascendancy over her 
husband, her discretion equalled her influence ; and by 
avoiding all political matters and party connections, she 
gave general satisfaction to the nation. She died of a 
mortification in the bowels, at the age of fifty-five, 
November 20th, 1737. Her surviving issue were — • 
1. Frederick, Prince of Wales. 2. William Augustus, 
Duke of Cumberland. 3. Anne, Princess of Orange. 
4. Louisa, Queen of Denmark. 5. Mary, wife of 
the Landgrave of Hesse-Cassel. 6. Amelia. 7. Carolina. 
8. Elizabeth. The three last died unmarried. 

It was considered very extraordinary, that the eldest of 
this family should be kept out of the kingdom till the 
3rd of December, 1728, when, being of age, it was 
deemed necessary that he should be created Prince of 
Wales, and take his seat in the House of Peers. Nq 
satisfactory reason was ever assigned for this conduct; 



lxviii 

but it seems clear from subsequent circumstances, that 
the father was afraid of his son's popularity and spirit. 
It is not a little remarkable, however, that every one of 
the first three kings of this house, lived on bad terms 
with the heir-apparent to the throne. 

On the 27th of April, 1736, Prince Frederick was 
married to the Princess Augusta, sister of the reigning 
Duke of Saxe-Gotha. This alliance, which ought to 
have produced perfect harmony in the royal family and 
the kingdom, had a contrary effect. 

At the next meeting of Parliament, the King sent a 
message to both Houses, recommending a settlement of 
£50,000 a year upon the Prince of Wales. Upon this 
it was moved in the Commons by Mr. Pulteney, and in 
the upper House by Lord Carteret, that the income 
should be £100,000, being the same as the King had 
when Prince of Wales. The motion was negatived, as 
also was that for settling a jointure of £100,000 upon the 
princess, in case of her becoming a widow, though no 
more than what had been granted to the Queen herself 
in the late reign. 

Such was the parsimony of George the Second, and 
such was the baseness of his minister, Walpole, after 
increasing the Queen's income, as well as the civil list, 
to gratify their Majesties, and to secure himself in place. 

From this time an entire estrangement took place 



lxix 

between the prince and his father, which even the birth 
of a daughter, on the 31st of July, 1737, had not the 
effect of healing. The princess was named Augusta; 
but, though the King and Queen condescended to be 
sponsors, neither of them appeared in person at the bap- 
tismal ceremony. 

This unfeeling conduct was followed by treatment still 
more cruel. On the 10th of September the same year, 
the King, in imitation of his father, sent a message to 
his son, saying that he should leave St. James's, with all 
his family, when it could be done without prejudice or 
inconvenience to the princess, who should have the care 
of the child for the present, till a proper time came to 
consider of her education. Upon this, the prince 
removed immediately to a small house which he pur- 
chased at Kew. 

Two months after this the Queen died, without seeing 
her eldest son, or the Princess of Wales ; so subservient 
was Caroline to the will of her husband, even in death ; 
which gave occasion to some people to say, that it was 
impossible she could die of an intestinal disease, for 
" that she had no bowels." 

The King, however, shewed by his behaviour, that he 
had none; for on the 27th of February following, he 
caused it to be declared, "that no person whatever who 
went to pay their court to the Prince or Princess of 



ixx 

Wales, should be admitted into His Majesty's presence 
at any of the royal palaces." 

On the 24th of May, or according to the new style, the 
4th of June, 1738, the princess was delivered of a son at 
Norfolk House, in St. James's-square. As the infant 
came at seven months, and was not expected to live, the 
private baptism took place the same day, when he was 
named George. On the 21st of June, however, the 
ceremony of a public baptism was performed by Dr. 
Seeker, Bishop of Oxford, when the further names of 
William Frederic were added to that of George. The 
King, his grandfather, the King of Sweden, and the 
Queen of Prussia, were sponsors, but all by proxy. 

On the 14th of March, 1739, another son was born ; 
and on the 11th of April, he was named by the same 
bishop, Edward Augustus. In the following reign, he 
became Duke of York. While the family expenditure of 
the prince thus increased, without any addition to his 
income, a royal message was sent to Parliament, calling 
for £15,000 a year to the Duke of Cumberland, and 
£24,000 a year to four of the princesses, none of whom 
had any incumbrance whatever. This harsh treatment 
only made the prince more popular ; and in proportion as 
he was oppressed by his father, he was beloved by the 
people. That he merited the national esteem, the 
following among many anecdotes will shew: — 



lxxi 

In 1735, the Quakers applied to Parliament for reliei 
from prosecutions on account of tithes. Accordingly, a 
bill was brought in to enable two justices of the peace to 
determine all controversies for tithes wherein Quakers 
were the defendants. While this measure was pending, a 
deputation of the Society of Friends waited upon the 
prince, to solicit his interest in their behalf. His answer 
was, "that, as a friend to toleration, he wished tbem 
success ; but that for himself, he never gave a vote in 
Parliament, and it did not become his station to influence 
others, but to leave them entirely to their own unbiassed 
judgment, and conscientious principles." 

This reply so struck the body of Friends, that Andrew 
Pitt, who spoke in the name of the rest, said, f* May it 
please the Prince of Wales, I am greatly affected with 
thy excellent notions of liberty ; I am more pleased with 
thy answer than if thou hadst granted our request." 

Sir Robert Walpole, finding his seat of power weakened, 
endeavoured to secure it by bringing about a re-union 
between the King and the prince. Accordingly, Bishop 
Seeker and the Earl of Cholmondeley waited upon his 
Royal Highness with this proposal, that if he would write 
such a letter as it might be consistent with His Majesty's 
honor to receive, then the prince, and all that were in 
his counsels, should be kindly received at court; that 
£50,000 a year should be added to his income; that 



Ixxii 

£200,000 should be granted to pay his debts ; and that all 
his dependents should be provided for. The prince 
replied, that he was ready to throw himself at the feet of 
the King, without making any terms ; but that he would 
never give the least countenance to public measures 
while the present administration existed. 

Within a few weeks after this, Walpole resigned all his 
places, and became Earl of Orford. 

On the 16th of February, 1742, the prince had an 
interview with the King at St. James's, and this event 
produced general joy through the whole empire. 

The prince and his family now resided chiefly at 
Leicester House ; but spent most of the summer months 
at Kew or Cliefden, where his Royal Highness devoted 
much of his time to the education of his children. Of 
his attention to this important part of parental duty, many 
interesting stories are related. The prince was fond of 
the arts, and among the persons patronized by him in 
this line was Goupy, the friend of Dr. Brooke Taylor. 
Goupy used to attend Leicester House at certain times, 
to take instructions from the prince for designs. One 
day when he came, Prince George, then about ten years 
old, was in durance behind his father's chair, for some 
offence. Goupy, seeing how matters stood, told his 
patron that he could not go on while the young prince 
was a captive. " Come out then, George," said the 



lxxiii 

father, " Goupy has obtained your release." To finish 
the tale : shortly after the accession of George III. 
as he was riding along the road, he met Goupy in 
charge of a sheriffs officer. The King eyed him, stopped, 
and asked how he did. The aged artist told his melan- 
choly story, which he concluded with saying, "As I once 
had the honor of releasing Your Majesty from prison, I 
hope you will not let me, in my old age, go into one." 
The King ordered the debt to be paid, and then a guinea 
to be given weekly to Goupy as long as he lived. 

If any thing were wanted to shew the sterling worth of 
Frederick the Prince of Wales's character, his steady 
friendship for the good Lord Lyttleton would alone be 
sufficient to stamp his moral worth . 

As a patron of literary men, he stood eminently con- 
spicuous. Among those distinguished by his bounty were 
Thomson, Glover, Brooke, and Lillo. The Gustavus 
Vasa of Brooke was refused a license by the Lord 
Chamberlain on account of the author's connexion with 
the prince, who in consequence headed a subscription for 
its publication, which produced above a thousand pounds. 
Lillo, when on his dying bed, directed that his posthumous 
tragedy of Elmeric should be dedicated to the prince. 

On hearing that the author of Leonidas was embar- 
rassed in his circumstances, he sent him, by a gentleman, 
a bank note for £500. " Carry this," said he, "to 



Ixxiv 

Mr. Glover, as a small testimony of my esteem, and 
assure him that I sincerely sympathize with him in his 
affliction, and shall be always glad to see him." 

It is said that Frederick one day stopped, in his barge, 
at Pope's villa ; and when the poet expressed his sense 
of the honor done him in very courtly phrase, his Royal 
Highness observed, " 'Tis well ; but how shall we recon- 
cile your professed love to a prince, with your rough 
treatment of kings, since princes will be kings in time?" 
Pope is stated to have made this reply — " I consider 
royalty, Sir, under the authorized type of the lion, who, 
while he is young, and before his nails are grown, may be 
approached and caressed with safety and pleasure." 

The prince, though born in Germany, where he lived 
till of age, understood and spoke the English language 
better than any of his family. He made it his study, by 
reading the finest writers in prose and verse, particularly 
the dramatic poets, of whom Rowe was so great a 
favorite, that the prince was at the expense of publishing 
a new edition of his works, of which Dr. (afterwards 
Bishop) Newton was the editor. 

The Prince of Wales shewed his fondness for the 
histrionic art, by having plays performed in his family, 
both at Leicester House and Cliefden. Cato, and Lady 
Jane Grey, were performed in 1749 ; and in the former, 
Prince George took the part of Portius, and his brother 



lxxv 

Edward that of Juba, while Martia was represented by 
the Princess Augusta, and Lucia by the Princess 
Elizabeth. 

The elder prince also spoke the prologue, which was 
written purposely for the occasion. These royal theatri- 
cals were managed by Quin, who also instructed the 
performers, in which he gave such satisfaction that the 
prince gave him a pension, and made him many valu- 
able presents. Quin was the tutor of George TIL in 
elocution; and when he heard how elegantly the young 
monarch delivered his maiden speech from the throne, 
the old actor exclaimed, with self-gratulation, "Aye, it 
was I that taught the boy to speak ! " 

That Frederick, Prince of Wales, blended patriotism 
with his taste for literature and the arts, appeared in his 
choice of Alfred as the subject of a dramatic piece, 
written conjointly by Thomson and Mallet, and performed 
at Cliefden. 

The death of this amiable prince, which was occasioned 
by an imposthume on the lungs, March 25th, 1751, seems 
to have been more felt by the people than by the King 
his father. When the intelligence was brought to 
St. James's, His Majesty was at cards ; upon which he 
rose up, and said to his mistress, Lady Yarmouth, u We 
must leave off, Freddy is dead." 

The funeral also was conducted in a manner that 

£2 



Ixxvi 

shewed the same indifference. Were it not related by 
Dodington, afterwards Lord Melcombe, who was present, 
it would hardly appear credible, that, with the exception 
of the prince's household, there was not a single English 
peer, either spiritual or temporal, present, and only one 
Irish lord, two sons of dukes, one baron's son, and two 
privy counsellors, 

Frederick, Prince of Wales, died at the^age of forty- 
four.. He left by his princess, who died in 1772, aged 
fifty- three, nine children : 

, 1. Augusjta, who became Duchess of Brunswick- 
WolfenbutteL 

2. George, created Prince of Wales soon after the 
death of his father. 

i 3. Edward Augustus, created Duke of York in 1760, 
and died unmarried, 1769. 

4. Elizabeth Caroline, born Jan. 10th, 1740, died 
unmarried, Sept. 1st, 1759. 

5. William Henry, born Nov. 25th, 1743, created Duke 
of Gloucester, 1764, married, 1766, Maria, Countess 
Dowager of Waldegrave, by whom he had three children, 
two of whom are now living; Sophia Matilda, born 
May 29th, 1773, and William Frederick, now Duke of 
Gloucester, born June 15th, 1776, and married his cousin, 
Mary, daughter of George III. by whom he has no issue. 

6. Henry Frederick, born Nov. 5th, 1745; created 



lxxvii 

Duke of Cumberland, 1766; married in 1771, Anne, 
daughter of Lord Irnham, afterwards the Earl of Car- 
hampton, by whom he had no issue. 

7. Louisa Anne, born March 19th, 1746, died 
unmarried, May 21 st, 1768. 

8. Frederick William, born May 24th, 1750; died 
May 10th, 1765. 

9. Caroline Matilda, a posthumous child, born July 
22nd, 1751; married, Oct. 1st, 1766, the King of Den- 
mark, by whom she had one son, the present King of 
that country, and a daughter. The Queen died at Zell, 
in 1775. 



VIII. 

We must now resume our anecdotes of George the 
Second. 

The aggression of the French upon the rights of the 
Empress, Queen Maria Theresa, having produced a 
continental war, an alliance was formed for her defence, 
in which England, without having any real interest, took 
a part. The troops sent to the assistance of the Queen 
of Hungary were commanded by Lord Stair ; but just as 
an engagement was about to commence, the King arrived 
in person, and in 1743 gained the battle of Dettingen. 
In the heat of the conflict, the King's horse ran away with 



Ixxviii 

him; but Ensign, afterwards General Trapaud, seized the 
bridle, and His Majesty on alighting said, " Now, if my 
horse will run away, my legs shall not." In the same 
battle the flower of the French army, called the gens- 
d'armes, were attacked by the Scotch Greys, and forced 
to retreat. 

Some years after the peace, at a review of the same 
regiment, the King bestowed high praise upon their 
appearance, and said to the French ambassador, that they 
were the best troops in the world. " Has Your Majesty 
ever seen the gens-d'armes ?" rejoined his excellency. 
" No," quickly returned the old monarch, " but my 
Greys have." 

The King, whenever any brilliant victory occurred, 
always held a levee on the occasion. At one of these, 
he made his appearance in the very dress which he wore 
near forty years before at the battle of Oudenarde. The 
extraordinary figure which he cut, surrounded by a circle 
of modern fashion, excited general astonishment, which 
was converted into ridicule, when these lines of Cibber's 
ode were sung: — 

" Sure such a day was never known, 
Such a King, and such a throne I" 

Upon associating this couplet with the personage 
whom it described, the company seemed ready to burst 



lxxix 

into a load laugh, which one of the lords observed, and ta 
prevent the indecorum, he clapped the verse. This had 
the intended effect. The singers repeated the lines, and 
the King took for a compliment, what was nothing but 
an escape from ridicule. 

When the rebellion broke out in 1745, the guards were 
hastened home from Germany, and the King, having 
assembled the officers thus addressed them: "Gentlemen, 
you cannot be ignorant of the present precarious situation 
of our country; and, though I have had such recent 
instances of your exertions, the necessity of the times, 
and the knowledge I have of your hearts, induce me to 
call for your services again. Therefore all of you that 
are willing to meet the rebels, hold up your right hands ; 
all those who feel it inconvenient so to do, hold up your 
left." 

This appeal produced a simultaneous movement of the 
right hands of all in the room, which so affected the King, 
that he could not say a word, but bowed and withdrew. 

When tranquillity was restored, the monarch held 
several levees and drawing-rooms, where he paid marked 
attention to those who had distinguished themselves by 
their loyalty. Among these was Mr. Thornton, a 
Yorkshire gentleman of fortune, who had raised at his 
own expense a body of horse for the national defence, 
though he bad but just married a beautiful young lady. 



Ixxx 

With the Yorkshire Hunters, as they were called, be 
joined the royal army, and did eminent service at that 
critical period. After the battle of Culloden, he took 
his lady to court, where the King said, " Sir, I have been 
told of the services you have rendered to your country, 
and of your attachment to me and my family; for both 
of which I hold myself obliged ; but I was never able to 
estimate the degree of the obligation under which I have 
been laid, till I now see the lady whom you left for my 
sake." 

George the Second had great personal bravery, but 
shewed it sometimes in a very whimsical manner. During 
Mr. Pitt's administration, advice came one night of a 
landing having been effected by the French on the 
western coast. The minister, being confined to his room 
by the gout, sent his under-secretary, Mr. Wood, to the 
King, then at Kensington, with the letters. It was 
twelve o'clock at night when the secretary arrived, and 
the King. was in bed, but immediately got up to give him 
audience. Mr. Wood then read the despatches, after 
which the King strutted about the room with large strides, 
and turning round, said, " Wood, what horse shall I ride 
to-morrow?" The secretary stared, and stammered out 
that His Majesty must know best ; and that if he pleased, 
he would give proper orders at the Mews. "Aye, aye," 
replied the King, " You say right, you don't know, to be 



lxxxi 

sure ; how should you know ? But I'll tell you, I wilt 
ride my roan German horse, and put myself at the head 
of my brave guards directly." — Wood begged His 
Majesty to retire to bed, and wait for a further account, 
with which advice he at last complied ; and when morning 
came, news arrived that the whole was a false alarm, 
occasioned by the marauding adventure of a French 
privateer to plunder the country people. 

The King had great benevolence, mixed however with 
pride. About the year 1756, a clergyman, after visiting 
one of the royal pages, in descending the private staircase, 
tumbled down a whole flight of steps, and in the fall his 
head came in contact with a closet door. On recovering 
his senses, he found himself seated on the floor of a 
small room, attended by a neat little old gentleman, who 
was carefully washing his head with a towel, and fitting, 
with infinite exactness, pieces of sticking plaster to the 
cuts which he had received. For some time his surprise 
kept him silent, but finding that his kind physician had 
finished his task, and even replaced his wig, he rose up, 
and limping towards his benefactor, was preparing to 
express his thanks by a speech. This, however, was 
prevented by a frown, and a significant wave of the hand 
towards the door. The patient took the hint and retired, 
much wondering that humanity and hauteur should be 
associated in the same person. Surprise, however, ceased 



Ixxxii 

when he learned afterwards that his surgeon was no other 
than the first personage of the realm. 

The King sometimes said witty things, even when in 
a bad humor. Lord Albemarle having been spoken to 
by a Scotch nobleman, to solicit for him from the King 
the Green Ribband, did so; but His Majesty refused, 
saying, he would not bestow a favor of that kind upon a 
fellow who had constantly opposed the court. "Yes, 
Sire," said Lord Albemarle, " but he means to be more 
compliable for the future." "Well, well, I don't care for 
that, he is a puppy, and shall not have it." The King 
having said this, was turning to go away, when Lord 
Albemarle asked him what answer he should return the 
applicant. " Tell him he is a puppy." " Well, but, Sire, 
he is a puppy that is sincerely inclined to follow his 
master." "Aye!" retorted the King, " are you sure of 
that?" "Perfectly so, Sir." "Why then," said the 
King, " let the puppy have his collar." 

The King having appointed an officer to a principal 
command soon after the miscarriages of the campaign in 
1757, the Duke of Newcastle, who wanted to nominate 
another person, objected to His Majesty's choice : 
"Why," said the King, "what's the matter with my 
friend?" "Please Your Majesty, the man is mad." 
" Oh, is he so ? I hope he will bite some of my generals, 
and make them mad too." 



lxxxiii 

Though the duke was much employed, and rather a 
favorite, the King saw through his weakness, and 
sometimes ridiculed it. Lord Harrington, and his grace 
of Newcastle, the two secretaries, were perfect opposites ; 
one being taciturn, and the other incessantly talking. 

When the Marshal of Bellisle was in England on a 
negociation, his patience became quite exhausted by the 
delay which he found at the foreign office. The King 
one day seeing him at Hampton Court, asked him how he 
went on. "Upon my word, Sire," replied the marshal, 
"rather slowly, for I can scarcely get an answer from 
your secretary of state." "Poh! poh!" said the King, 
"I'll tell you how to remedy that; apply to my other 
secretary, and he'll answer you every question before you 
ask it." 

The King for some time could not endure the name of 
Pitt, and when that great man was forced upon him, His 
Majesty treated him with repulsive hauteur. At last, 
however, the minister completely succeeded in removing 
this ill-will. News having arrived of a great victory, Mr, 
Pitt, though so ill of the gout as scarcely able to stand, 
waited upon the King in person, with the despatches. 
On entering the closet, His Majesty, observing the 
infirmity of the minister, ordered a stool for him to sit. 
" No, Sire," says Mr. Pitt, " it is not my duty to sit in 
your presence; but though 1 can't stand, I can kneel;" 



lxxxiv 

and accordingly in that posture he read the despatches. 
This was highly gratifying to His Majesty's German pride, 
and from that time he used to say, " I do like Pitt now ; 
he is an honest man, and I understand all that he says." 

The King was very irritable, but his resentment did 
not last long. When Lord Chesterfield was in the cabinet, 
a place of great trust fell vacant, to which His Majesty 
recommended one person, and the Duke of Dorset 
another. The King espoused his friend's interest with 
uncommon zeal, and told the council that he would be 
obliged. Finding the ministers no less resolute, he got 
up and left the council chamber in great displeasure. As 
soon as he was gone, the matter came on to be debated 
again; when some of the members appearing inclined to 
yield, the majority opposed it, and said if they once gave 
up to the King, he would expect to have his own way 
at another time, and that such a precedent was not to be 
endured. However, in the humor in which the King 
then was, there now arose a difficulty in obtaining his 
signature ; and it became a matter of question who should 
" bell the cat," or in other words, venture into the royal 
presence. The lot fell upon Lord Chesterfield. His 
lordship expected to find His Majesty in a very ungracious 
mood, and so it happened; for he was kicking his hat 
about the room with vehemence, as he always did 
when in a bad humor. The earl knew it would not do to 



lxxxv 

ask him abruptly to sign the instrument; and, therefore, 
instead of that, he very submissively requested to know 
whose names should fill up the blanks. The King answered , 
"The devil's if you will." " Very well," replied his lord- 
ship ; " but would Your Majesty have the instrument run 
in the usual style, Our trusty and well-beloved counsellor, 
the Devil ?" At this the King laughed, snatched up the pen, 
and put his name to the appointment, though not very 
agreeable to himself. 

The King had good private information from the 
continent, and sometimes used to surprise his ministers 
with intelligence of which they were ignorant. One day 
he asked Lord Holdernesse, then secretary of state, 
whether he knew where the Pretender was ? His lordship 
answered, "Upon my word, Sire, I don't exactly know; 
I should suppose somewhere in Italy ; but I will consult 
my last despatches." " Poh ! poh ! man, don't trouble 
yourself about despatches : I'll tell you where he is ; he 
now lodges at such a house in the Strand, and was last 
night at Lady * * * 's ball. What shall we do with him?" 
Lord Holdernesse, surprised at this account, proposed 
calling a council. " No, no," said the King, " I'll have no 
council ; this can be settled without a council. Let him 
stay where he is; and when the poor man has amused 
himself by seeing London, he will go back again." The 



Ixxxvi 

fact turned out exactly as he said ; and the circumstance 
did credit to his prudence and moderation. 

In his personal economy, George the Second was 
particularly exact about trifles. He had all his shirts, 
cravats, and other articles of linen, numbered ; and wore 
them in such precise order, that if they did not correspond, 
he would grossly abuse the person who had the care of 
his wardrobe. He was also scrupulously attentive to 
pecuniary matters. One evening, as the page was 
carrying some money to be deposited in an iron chest 
which the King kept in a closet near his bed-room, the 
bag burst, and one guinea rolled under the door of a 
recess where some fire- wood was piled. "Have you 
picked up all the money V said the King. " All but one 
guinea, Sir, which has rolled under the wood: but I shall 
find it at my return." "No, no," said the King, "we 
must find it now ; set down that bag there, and assist me 
in removing the wood." The page obeyed, and to work 
they went: when, after toiling about twenty minutes, the 
guinea was found. "Well," said the King, "I think 
we have worked hard for this guinea ; but as you seem to 
have labored most, take it for your pains. I would not 
have any thing lost." 

Though the King was parsimonious, he sometimes did 
good-natured actions ; and even when grossly imposed 



lxxxvii 

upon, bore the fraud with equanimity of temper. The 
Duchess of Kingston, when Miss Chudleigh, having 
obtained a suite of apartments in the palace of Hampton 
Court for her mother, the monarch, at the next drawing- 
room, asked the daughter how her mother liked the rooms. 
" Oh ! perfectly well, Sir," said she, " in point of situation, 
if the poor woman had but a bed and a few chairs to put 
in them." "Oh, that must be done by all means," rejoined 
His Majesty, and immediately gave orders for furnishing 
the chambers. In a few months after this, a bill was 
brought in from the upholsterer, as follows: — "To a bed 
and furniture of rooms for the Hon. Mrs. Chudleigh, 
£4,000." The sum was so extravagant, that the 
comptroller of the household would not pass the account 
till he had shewn it to the King. His Majesty saw at 
once how he had been taken in, but it was too late to 
retract. He therefore gave orders for the payment, but 
observed, " that if Mrs. Chudleigh found the bed as hard 
as he did, she would never lie down on it as long as 
she lived." 

The King was much solicited to make the effeminate 
Earl of Bristol a duke, but refused. Some time after, 
two ladies high in royal favor joined in the application. 
In reply, His Majesty said, "I have laid down a rule to 
create no duke; but to oblige you, I will make your 
friend a duchess." 



Ixxxviii 

Once when the King was on his return from an 
excursion to Hanover, the carriage broke down, between 
the Brill and Helvoetsluys, in a road where he and his 
attendants were obliged to stop at a country public-house 
till the coach could be set to rights. The refreshments 
they had were coffee and eggs for His Majesty and the 
two noblemen with him, and four bottles of gin for the 
servants. When about to depart, the honest landlord 
brought in a charge of ninety pounds. The bill being 
brought to Lord Ligonier, threw him into a rage, and he 
abused the Dutchman in no measured terms. The King 
overhearing the quarrel, inquired the cause, and then 
said, " It is an exorbitant charge, to be sure ; but pay 
the money: Kings seldom come this way." 

His Majesty was a very early riser, being ge- 
nerally up at five in the summer, and six in the 
winter. In the latter season he kindled his own fire, 
after which he took his chocolate, read his despatches, 
and prepared himself for the conferences of the day. 
None of the pages presumed to intrude upon him till 
they heard the bell. In the summer mornings he used 
to walk round Kensington Gardens, and sometimes read 
the papers in an alcove facing the.palace. 

The death of George the Second, like that of his father, 
was extremely sudden. On the morning of the 25th of 
October, 1760, he rose and breakfasted as usual. Scarcely, 



lxxxix 

however, had his page retired, when he was recalled by 
the noise of something fallen on the floor. On returning 
into the room, he found the King had dropped from his 
chair, in the act of ringing the bell. He just said, 
" Call Emily," meaning his daughter, and expired. The 
cause of his death was a rupture of the right ventricle of 
the heart, in consequence of which, a great quantity of 
blood was discharged through the aperture into the 
surrounding pericardium. 

XI. 

The proclamation of George III. took place the day 
after the demise of his grandfather ; and on the 18th 
of November, he opened the Parliament with a speech 
which produced great effect. " Born and educated in 
this country," said the monarch, " I glory in the name 
of Briton ; and the peculiar happiness of my life will ever 
consist in promoting the welfare of a people, whose 
loyalty and warm affection to me, I consider as the 
greatest and most permanent security of my throne." 

The King now turned his thoughts to marriage, and 
fixed his choice on the Princess Charlotte of Mecklen- 
burg-Strelitz, who was then in her 17th year. The 
negociation was soon concluded; and on the 7th of 
September, 1761, the nuptials were solemnized in the 
chapel royal, by Archbishop Seeker. On the 22nd of the 



xc 



same month, the coronation took place, which was 
rendered remarkable by the voluntary humiliation of the 
King, in taking off his crown, and laying it aside when 
he knelt at the altar. 

Two months after the coronation, the King purchased 
Buckingham House, for £21,000, and presented it to the 
Queen, for which he gave this affectionate and delicate 
reason : " that in case Her Majesty should outlive him, 
she might not be turned out of the home they had 
enjoyed together." 

About this time a pleasing incident occurred, worth 
relating, as characteristic of the harmony in which the 
royal pair then lived. One afternoon, the King having 
taken a good deal of exercise, fell asleep ; which being 
observed by the Queen, while engaged in drawing, she 
sat some time contemplating his countenance; then 
casting her eyes on a portrait, representing some one in 
the costume of those days when it was the fashion for the 
gentlemen to wear the hair on the upper lip and chin, the 
fancy struck her, to see how her august partner would 
look with such ornaments. Taking some Indian ink, and 
a camel's-hair pencil, she made the trial, so gently as not 
to disturb his repose. But she had scarcely finished, 
when some lords of the council were announced, to avoid 
whom, she made her escape. 

The nobles, on their entrance, were so startled at the 



xci 

grotesque appearance of the King, that they exhibited in 
their own persons, almost as ludicrous countenances as 
His Majesty. He could not help noticing their embar- 
rassed looks, and wondered at the cause, till on turning 
his eye to a mirror, he at once discovered the trick that 
had been played, which made him laugh heartily. 

In the spring of 1765, His Majesty was attacked by a 
brain fever, which lasted five weeks. The nature of the 
malady was carefully concealed from the nation; yet 
some intimation of it appeared in the speech delivered by 
the King in person to Parliament, on the 24th of April, 
when he said, " My late indisposition, though not 
attended with danger, has led me to consider the situation 
in which my kingdoms and my family might be left, if it 
should please God to put a period to my life whilst my 
successor is of tender years." 

Accordingly an act was passed, to supply any deficiency 
in the regal functions during a minority ; but, from the 
terms of the limitation, and owing to the good health of 
the King, no use was ever made of it. 

On the 31st of October, the same year, William Fre- 
derick, the great Duke of Cumberland, died of an apoplexy, 
at the age of forty-five. This mortality was followed, on 
the 28th of December, by the death of Prince Frederic, the 
King's youngest brother, in his sixteenth year. He was 
a youth of a very amiable disposition, and of promising 

g2 



xcn 

talents, which made his loss much regretted by the 
family. 

On the 1st of October, 1766, Caroline Matilda, the 
posthumous daughter of Frederick Prince of Wales, was 
married by proxy to Christian the Seventh, King of 
Denmark. This proved a most unhappy alliance, and as 
such, it was anticipated by the princess herself, who was 
observed to suffer a continued depression of spirits, from 
the time when the proposed union was first mentioned, to 
her departure. The subsequent history of this unfortunate 
queen, who, in 1775, died in Hanover, after being divorced 
and imprisoned, is too well known to need any further 
detail or observation. 

On the 8th of February, 1772, died at the age of fifty- 
three, the Princess Dowager of Wales, after a slow, but not 
painful decay. On the preceding night, she said to the 
medical attendant, that she thought she should rest com- 
fortably. The King was present, and embraced his mother 
affectionately at parting. After he left the room, the phy- 
sician frankly said, he did not think she would live many 
hours. Upon this, His Majesty declared he would not leave 
Carlton House, where the princess had long resided, till the 
next day. He did not, however, see his mother again alive, 
for she expired about five in the morning, without a strug- 
gle or a groan. As soon as the King was apprised of the 
event, he went into the room, knelt down by the side of 



XC111 

the bed, kissed the clay-cold hand of his deceased parent, 
and, with tears in his eyes, left the house. 

During the late reign, the princess was generally 
esteemed, and deservedly so ; for no woman ever deported 
herself with more prudence or piety. But after the 
accession of her son, she was grossly vilified by an 
unprincipled party, who represented her as being the 
head of a secret cabal, from whose counsels emanated 
measures extremely unpopular, and even odious to the 
nation. Nothing could be wider from the truth than this 
calumny ; but, as Wilkes, the licentious inventor of it, said, 
" The people will swallow any thing." The princess 
herself endured the torrent of obloquy with which she was 
continually assailed; and, conscious of her integrity, she 
would say, " How I pity the poor deluded people ! I 
hope they will know better by and by." 

On the 20th of February, this year, the King sent a 
message to both Houses of Parliament, recommending 
some new legislative provision to prevent the descendants 
of George II. from marrying without the approbation of 
His Majesty, his heirs, and successors. Accordingly, a 
bill was brought in and passed the same session, though 
not without experiencing a strong opposition. 

This Royal Marriage Act was occasioned by the union 
of the Duke of Gloucester with the Dowager Countess 
of Waldegrave, and that of the Duke of Cumberland 



XC1V 



with another widow, Mrs. Horton, daughter of the Earl 
of Carhampton. The first of these alliances only, was 
productive of issue. 1. William Henry, the present Duke 
of Gloucester, married in 1816, to his cousin, the Princess 
Mary, daughter of George III. by whom he has no 
children. 2. Sophia Matilda, unmarried. 

In 1775, the war with the American colonies commenced, 
which terminated with the separation of those states 
from Great Britain, after an immense expenditure of 
treasure, and waste of human life. Much censure has 
been thrown upon the King for his firmness in this 
sanguinary contest; but certainly on no just grounds, 
unless we are to adopt the supposition, that he acted 
against the sense of the nation. Now, it is clear, that 
the voice of the people went with the sovereign, till the 
hostile combinations of three European powers rendered 
the cause of the parent state hopeless. 

Even the great Earl of Chatham, and those who, with 
him, favored the colonists in their resistance to taxation, 
spurned the idea of granting them independence. There 
was only one man in the kingdom who ventured to hazard 
that proposal : this was Dr. Tucker, Dean of Gloucester, 
who argued upon the simple principle, that when colonies 
have attained such a condition of power and population 
as to support themselves, the course pointed out by nature 
and policy, is that of their becoming a distinct state. 



xcv 

This doctrine, however, was treated as the dream of a 
visionary. But after the peace of 1783, the King said to 
the doctor, " Mr. Dean, you were in the right, and we 
were all wrong." 

When the metropolis, in the summer of 1780, was the 
scene of the most disgraceful riots ever witnessed since the 
days of Jack Cade and his lawless associates, George III. 
by his steadiness put a stop to further mischief. His 
ministers being at their wits' end, and irresolute what to 
do, the King of his own accord ordered out the military, 
with full power to act every where as the exigency of the 
case might call for their interposition, even though no 
magistrate should be at hand to assist them in the dis- 
charge of their duty. By this promptitude, order was 
restored in a few hours ; and so impressed were the in- 
habitants of Southwark of their obligations to the King, 
that they immediately voted him an address of thanks. 

The resolution of His Majesty was equally conspicuous 
in the great trial of strength between himself and the 
famous coalition administration of Fox and North. 

This firmness produced a state of national quiet and 
prosperity for the space of four years ; when the suspen- 
sion of the regal functions by the King's illness occa- 
sioned a fierce contest on the question of supplying a 
regency. Providentially, however, the restoration of the 
royal mind put an end to the bill, then on the eve of pass- 



XCV1 

ing into a law. On the 22d of February, 1789, Mr. Pitt 
and Mr. Dundas, afterwards Lord Melville, were dining 
with Lord Chesterfield, when a letter was brought to the 
former. Having read it, he gave it to Dundas under the 
table, and whispered that when he had looked it over, it 
would be proper to retire for some conversation upon it. 
The letter was as follows : — 

" The King renews, with great satisfaction, his com- 
munication with Mr. Pitt, after the long suspension of 
their intercourse, owing to his very tedious and painful 
illness. He is fearful that during this interval the public 
interests have suffered great inconvenience and difficulty. 

" It is most desirable that immediate measures should 
be taken for restoring the functions of his government ; 
and Mr. Pitt will consult with the Lord Chancellor to- 
morrow morning upon the most expedient means for that 
purpose; and the King will receive Mr. Pitt at Kew 
afterwards, about one o'clock." 

The minister punctually obeyed the summons, and had 
the pleasure of finding the King in perfect possession of 
his faculties. 

On the 23rd of April, the sovereign, his family, the 
members of the two Houses of Parliament, and the 
Ministers of State, went in procession,* to return thanks 
for this providential mercy, in St. Paul's Cathedral. 

In a conversation with the late Mr. George Hardinge, 



XCV11 

about this time, the King said his illness had in the end 
been a perfect bliss to him, as proving how nobly the 
people would support him when he was confined. 

The following summer was spent in a tour to the West 
of England. In his progress, the King visited several 
noblemen, and among the rest the Marquis of Bath, at 
Longleat. Here an immense concourse of people as- 
sembled from all quarters in the park, in the hope of 
catching a sight of the monarch. The marquis, somewhat 
alarmed, inquired of his steward what was best to be done, 
who replied that, in order to gratify the whole assemblage, 
he would advise that His Majesty should condescend to 
exhibit himself from the flat roof of the mansion, with 
which the King instantly complied. An attendant took 
the liberty of inquiring of His Majesty, who was used to 
large assemblies, of how many souls he might imagine 
the mob below consisted ; on which the King said, " Mob, 
Sir, implies a disorderly crowd ; the people below are 
peaceable : multitude, therefore, if you please ; but not 
mobr 

Of the King's quickness and intelligence the late Bishop 
Watson relates the following instance. " At a levee, soon 
after the experiments on gunpowder had been made, I 
happened to be standing next to the Duke of Richmond, 
then master-general of the ordnance, who informed His 
Majesty that they were indebted to me for a great im- 



xcvin 

provement in its fabrication. On my saying that I ought 
to be ashamed of myself, inasmuch as it was a scandal 
in a Christian bishop to instruct men in the mode of 
destroying one another, the King answered, ■ Let not 
that afflict your conscience ; for the shorter the conflict, 
the less the slaughter/ " 

To a similar purport is the anecdote related by Lalande, 
the French astronomer, in his letter to the editors of the 
Journal des Sgavans, in 1788: 

" M. Herschel," says Lalande, " having discovered a 
new star, on the 13th of March, 1781, and having after 
some time convinced himself that it was a planet, he gave 
it the name of the King of England, Georgium Sidus. 
That prince, indeed, well deserves the esteem of all 
astronomers, by the large sums he has expended for the 
promotion of the science of astronomy. This year, when, 
being in England, I thanked him for the ardor he has 
shewn in so laudable a pursuit, he made me this instructive, 
this memorable, answer — * Is it not better than spending 
money for the purpose of setting men to murder each 
other?'" Lalande then goes on to condemn the German 
astronomers, for presuming to give another name to the 
planet, than that by which the discoverer had chosen to 
distinguish it, out of gratitude to his patron. 

On the 18th of September, 1790, died, at his house in 
Pall Mall, in his forty-fifth year, Henry Frederick, 



XC1X 

Duke of Cumberland. He had long been troubled with 
an asthmatic complaint; but the disease of which he died, 
was of a cancerous nature, in his throat. 

In the following year, the Duke of York was married, 
at Berlin, to the Princess Royal of Prussia ; and on the 
23rd of November the ceremony was repeated at the 
Queen's palace. 

But, pleasing as this alliance was to the King, another, 
which occurred on the 4th of April, 1793, between Prince 
Augustus, now Duke of Sussex, and Lady Augusta 
Murray, fourth daughter of the Earl of Dunmore, 
produced a contrary sensation. This connection took 
place at Rome ; and in the ensuing winter, the parties 
were remarried, by banns, in the parish church of 
St. George, Hanover-square. As this was contrary 
to an express statute, and the prince was not of age, 
the Court of Arches, by a formal process, declared both 
the marriage in England, and that at Rome, null and 
void. It was confidently asserted at the time, that the 
prince wrote a letter to his father, begging permission to 
relinquish his contingent rights in the succession, and to 
sink into the character of a private gentleman, rather 
than be separated from his beloved Augusta. This could 
not be granted; but, in 1806, the King's licence was 
given to the lady, to assume the name of d'Ameland, 
which was in some degree a recognition of her affinity to 



the royal family. Two children, a son and a daughter, 
were the fruits of this union ; and, though illegitimate by 
the law of England, the former will succeed, in failure of 
male issue of His present Majesty, and the Duke of 
Cumberland, to the crown of Hanover. Lady d'Ame- 
land, after living apart from the duke many years, died 
on the 28th of February, 1830. 

The fortitude of the King was twice put to a severe 
trial, in the year 1795 ; first by the unpleasant differences 
which arose between the Prince of Wales and his consort, 
within a few months after their marriage, and next, by a 
spirit of lawless violence among the people. On the 
29th of October, His Majesty was attacked by a furious 
mob, in his way to and from the House of Lords. The 
glass window of the carriage, next to where the King sat, 
was perforated by a ball or stone. This happened in his 
passage down, near the Palace- yard, and on his return 
through the park, the enraged populace would have 
dragged His Majesty out of the coach, had not a strong 
body of the military come to his rescue. 

On the 18th of May, 1796, the King suffered much 
in parting from his daughter, the Princess Royal; who 
was then married, much against the inclination of her 
father, to the hereditary Prince of Wirtemberg. The 
reason of this dislike, on the part of the King, was a 
report, widely spread, and generally believed, that the 



CI 

prince had cruelly used his first wife, who was of the 
imperial family of Russia. 

This year, His Majesty, attended by both Houses 
of Parliament, went in procession to St. Paul's Ca- 
thedral, to return thanks to the Almighty, for the 
three great naval victories, obtained by Admirals Howe, 
Jervis, and Duncan. 

A few days after this spectacle, His Majesty sat to 
Sir William Beechey for his portrait. In the course of 
the conversation, the King asked "if he had seen the 
procession." Sir William answered, that he had been 
favored with a fine view of the whole, from a window on 
Ludgate Hill. "Then," said the King, "you had the 
advantage of me; for I could only see the back of the 
coachman, and the tails of the horses." 

It was in this eventful year, the end of the century, 
that His Majesty gave that noble proof of his sensibility 
and munificence, the settlement of four thousand pounds 
a-year upon Cardinal York, the last descendant of the un- 
fortunate House of Stuart. Herein the venerable monarch 
exhibited a striking contrast to William the Third of 
England, and Louis the Sixteenth of France. When 
Marshal Boufflers urged upon William the claim of the 
widow of James the Second, to the dower of fifty 
thousand pounds, settled upon her by Parliament before 
the revolution, the King admitted the demand to be 



en 

just, and promised it should be paid. Notwithstanding 
this, William went from his word, and neither the Queen, 
nor any of her family, ever received a farthing of the 
money. 

When Charles Edward, commonly called the Pretender, 

fell into poverty, application was made to the British 

ministry for a portion of the grant, but without success. 

Louis XVI. was then requested to use his influence for 

that purpose ; but he said, " It is an unfortunate family, 

of whom I do not wish to hear any thing." Little did the 

monarch think, that his own fate, and that of his house, 

would so soon resemble the unfortunate Stuarts. Cardinal 

York died in 1807, aged eighty-two, and left to the Prince 

of Wales the garter worn by Charles I. and a valuable ring 

used by the ancient Kings of Scotland, at their coronation. 

He allowed £800 a year to his sister-in-law, the Countess 

of Albany, which pension our King doubled, and caused 

to be punctually paid as long as she lived. 

On the 25th of August, 1805, the royal family was 
deprived of the Duke of Gloucester, who died in his 
sixty-second year. He spent many years at Rome, for 
the benefit of his health ; and there his son, the present 
duke, was born, January the 15th, 1776. While in that 
capital, his Royal Highness received many marks of 
respect from Pope Clement XIV. and his successor. 
It was an invariable custom, from time immemorial, for 



CHI 

all carriages, on meeting that of the sovereign pontiff, to 

deviate on one side, or if the place was very narrow, to 

back out, and so make a clear passage. It happened 

once, that the pope and the duke entered a very narrow 

street, in opposite directions, at the same time, and 

came in contact at a part where there was no turning. 

His holiness immediately gave orders that his own carriage 

should recede, to let the English prince advance ; which 

was done, much to the astonishment of the Roman people. 

Other acts of civility, still more distinguished, were 

shewn to the Duke of Gloucester and his brother, the 

Duke of Cumberland ; in return for which, His Majesty 

wrote a letter of thanks to Pius VI. with his own hand. 

The remains of the Duke of Gloucester were deposited 

in the royal vault at Windsor : where also, those of his 

relict were laid, on her death, August 22nd, 1807, in the 

sixty-ninth year of her age. Her father was Sir Edward 

Walpole, and her mother's name was Clements. She and 

her sister were milliners, at Bath. Sir Edward lived at 

Frogmore, in a large house, which was afterwards pulled 

down and laid into the late queen's garden ; but a small 

one was erected near the spot, and now belongs to the 

Princess Augusta. By his lady, Sir Edward had Laura, 

married to Dr. Frederick Keppel, Bishop of Exeter; 

another daughter, married to Lord Dysart ; a son, named 

Horatio, who died unmarried ; and Maria, first married 



CIV 

to Lord Waldegrave, and next, in 1766, to the Duke of 
Gloucester. 

His Majesty had for some years suffered a partial decay 
of sight, which at length ended in total obscuration ; yet 
under that severe privation, he preserved his usual flow 
of spirits, took his regular walks, and favorite rides, and 
transacted business with his wonted punctuality and 
intelligence. At length, however, the protracted illness 
of his youngest daughter, the Princess Amelia, operated 
so acutely upon his parental sensibility, that it was 
observed every time he visited her, which was sometimes 
twice a day, his mind appeared to be deeply affected. 

At length, about the beginning of October, 1810, His 
Majesty received from the physicians, the afflicting report, 
that the princess might be no more in an hour, or that she 
might languish for some days. From that time the King's 
agitation was manifest. He passed some days absorbed 
in grief, and others again with some degree of composure, 
according to the varying state of the disorder. 

The King at times kept the physicians with him, when 
they made their report, two or three hours, in minute 
inquiries. He was accustomed to receive a report every 
morning at seven, and afterwards every two hours in the 
course of the day. At three o'clock he regularly went in 
his carriage to the lodge to visit her, and the effect of 
these visits was visible in his tears ; but his conversation 



cv 

was always such as tended to console and edify the tender 
object of his solicitude. While bending over her couch, 
on Wednesday, the 24th of October, the princess took 
his hand, and placing a ring inlaid with her own hair, on 
his finger, said, " Remember me!" This was too much for 
his nature to bear. He immediately left the bouse, and 
entered it no more. The next morning, the medical 
attendants thought it their duty to acquaint ministers with 
the alteration that had taken place in the King's speech 
and deportment. On Friday, the symptoms of mental 
derangement became more obvious ; and on Saturday, a 
council was held, when orders were given that none but 
the medical attendants should have access to the royal 
apartments. 

Meanwhile, the princess lingered on, in total ignorance 
of her beloved parent's condition, till the 2nd of November, 
when she departed, without the least struggle or convul- 
sion. The funeral took place by torch-light, on the 13th, 
and all the shops at Windsor were closed during the day. 

With this awful and affecting event, the history of 
George the Third may properly be said to terminate, for 
though his mortal existence continued till the 29th of 
January, 1820, the interval to him was a blank, and the 
Castle of Windsor no better than a tomb. 

But, to borrow the language of an elegant moralist, 
"though involved in darkness, both bodily and mental, 

h 



CV1 

for so many years, he was still regarded with a sentiment 
compounded of sorrow, respect, and tenderness. He 
was, indeed, consigned to seclusion, but not to oblivion. 
The distinctions of party, with respect to him, were lost 
in one common feeling; and the afflicted monarch was 
ever cherished in the hearts of the virtuous of every 
denomination, whether religious or political. 

"Even in the aberrations of reason, he was not 
forsaken. The hand which inflicted the blow, mercifully 
mitigated the pain. His wounded mind was soothed by 
visionary anticipations of heavenly happiness. Might 
not these fanciful consolations indicate something of the 
habit of a mind accustomed in its brightest hours to the 
indulgence of pious thoughts? And may we not in 
general venture to observe, in vindication of the severest 
dispensations of the Almighty, that, even during the 
distressful season of alienation of mind, the hours which 
are passed without sorrow, and without sin, are not, to the 
sufferer, among the most unhappy hours? 

" Notwithstanding the calamities with which it has 
pleased God to afflict the world; calamities in which 
England has had its share; yet the reign of the Third 
George, may be called a brilliant and glorious period. 
Independently of the splendor of our geographical 
discoveries, our Eastern acquisitions, and other memorable 
political events, we may challange any era in the history 



evil 

of tbe world, to produce a catalogue of the twentieth 
part of the noble institutions which have characterised 
and consecrated this auspicious reign : of these some have 
successfully promoted every elegant art, and others every 
useful science. Painting, Statuary, and Engraving, 
have been brought into fresh existence under the royal 
patronage. The application of chemistry and mechanics 
to the purposes of common life, has been attended with 
unexampled success. Signals at sea have been reduced 
to a science ; the telegraph has been invented ; military 
tactics are said to have been carried to the utmost 
perfection. Among the gentle arts of peace, the study 
of agriculture, which the King loved and cultivated, 
has become one among the favorite pursuits of our 
honorable men. The time will fail to recount the nume- 
rous domestic societies of every conceivable description, 
established for promoting the moral and temporal good of 
our country; persons of high rank, even of the highest, 
men of all parties and professions, periodically assemble 
to contrive the best means to instruct the ignorant, and 
reclaim the vicious ; to relieve every want which man can 
feel, or man can mitigate ; to heal the disturbed in mind, 
or the diseased in body ; nay, to resuscitate the apparently 
dead : prisons have been converted into places of moral 
improvement, and the number of churches has been 
rapidly multiplying. But the peculiar glory which 



emu 

distinguishes the period we are commemorating, is, that 
of our having wiped out the foulest blot that ever stained, 
not only the character of the Christian Britain, but of 
human nature itself, by the abolition of the opprobrious 
traffic in the human species. 

"If we advert to other remarkable circumstances which 
distinguish this reign; while new worlds have been 
discovered in the heavens, one of which bears the honored 
name of the sovereign under whose dominion it became 
known, on the earth, Christianity has been successfully 
carried to its utmost boundaries. In this reign also, it 
has been our preeminent glory to have fought single- 
handed against the combined world; yet, not by our own 
strength, but by the arm of the Lord of Hosts, England 
has been victorious." 



GEORGE IV, 



The circumstances under which George III. 
ascended the throne of these kingdoms were so 
peculiarly auspicious, that a few lines may well 
be dedicated to the short interval preceding the 
birth of George IV. 

The young Monarch, on succeeding to the 
throne of his grandfather, found his kingdom 
engaged, it is true, in an arduous foreign war, 
the most extensive which Great Britain had ever 
carried on; but happily governed by a firm, and 
highly popular administration, at the head of 
which was a man whose splendid talents and 
commanding eloquence, with the uniform success 
of his vigorous measures, had silenced party 
spirit and parliamentary opposition, and given 

B 



him an undisputed ascendancy even over his 
colleagues, among whom were men of very 
great ability. At home, the kingdom enjoyed 
perfect tranquillity, to which no interruption 
was now to be apprehended from the partisans 
of the exiled family of the Stuarts, who were 
few in number, isolated and discouraged, 
without friends, and without any hold on the 
sympathy of the people. Commerce and manu- 
factures were in the most flourishing condition, 
affording ample means for providing for the un- 
paralleled expenses of a war, which, having been 
latterly attended with brilliant successes, was 
extremely popular. The young Monarch him- 
self, being the first Sovereign of the House of 
Brunswick born in England, commenced his reign 
with the strongest prepossessions in his favor, 
which were in fact justified by his amiable and 
dignified manner, his unblemished morals, and 
his personal accomplishments. Some persons 
there undoubtedly were of tempers less sanguine, 
and minds more deeply reflecting, who did not 
fully participate in the flattering anticipations of 
the immense majority of their countrymen; but 



no eye could then perceive in the distant 
horizon 

" The cloudy speck, in which compressed, 
The mighty tempest brooding dwells:" 

no human foresight could then presage the scenes 
of popular discontent, of civil war, terminating 
with the disruption of the fairest portion of our 
empire; the revolutionary dangers, the noble 
efforts of patriotic energy, the terrific struggle of 
religion, justice, and order, with licentiousness, 
tyranny, and unbridled ambition; the reverses 
and the triumphs, the national glories and the 
appalling domestic visitation, the records of which 
are inscribed in imperishable characters, in the 
history of his varied and long-protracted reign. 

The first measures of the new Sovereign con- 
firmed the hopes that were conceived of him. 
His first speech in Parliament, his replies to the 
various loyal addresses presented to him, his 
acceptance of a stated annual sum for the civil 
list, instead of the hereditary and other revenues, 
his recommendation that the judges should hence- 
forth hold their offices for life, and the singular 
wisdom and judgment which he displayed in the 

b2 



choice of a person qualified to be a consort for 
himself, and Queen of these kingdoms, gave uni- 
versal satisfaction, and made his subjects hail 
with unmixed delight the auspicious day which 
gave to their beloved Sovereign an heir to his 
throne. 

It was on the 12th of August, 1762, between 
seven and eight o'clock in the morning, that Her 
Majesty was safely delivered by Mrs. Draper of 
a prince at St. James's palace. The Archbishop 
of Canterbury, the Dukes of Devonshire and 
Rutland, Lords Hardwicke, Huntingdon, Talbot, 
Halifax, Bute and Masham, and all the ladies 
of the bedchamber, and maids of honor, were 
in attendance. Dr. Hunter was also ready in 
waiting, in case his professional assistance should 
be required. The messenger who communicated 
the joyful news to His Majesty received a present 
of five hundred pounds. 

While the park guns were still firing to an- 
nounce this event, a long train of twenty wag- 
gons, guarded by a body of Marines, came down 
St. James's-street. These waggons contained the 
treasure taken in the Hermione, a Spanish frigate, 



one of the richest prizes recorded in the annals of 
the British navy, the share of each private man 
amounting to £900. His Majesty and great num- 
bers of the nobility stood at the windows over 
the palace gate, to see the procession, which it 
may well be supposed was saluted with accla- 
mations of joy by the people, who were assem- 
bled in crowds, and who, with a feeling not 
wholly confined to the uneducated classes, and 
which we would not willingly call by so harsh a 
name as superstition, were inclined to view the 
coincidence of two such pleasing events, as an 
omen of the future happiness and prosperity of 
the infant prince. 

Another coincidence, of which much notice 
was taken, was that the birth of the Prince of 
Wales happened exactly forty-eight years, ac- 
cording to the old style, after the accession of the 
House of Brunswick to the throne of these king- 
doms ; George the First having succeeded to the 
throne on the 1st of August, 1714. This circum- 
stance was particularly alluded to in the address 
of the City of London to His Majesty on this 
occasion, in the following terms : — 



" So important an event, and upon a day ever 
sacred to liberty, and these kingdoms, fills us 
with the most grateful sentiments of the Divine 
goodness, which has thus early crowned Your 
Majesty's domestic happiness, and opened to 
your people the agreeable prospect of perma- 
nence and stability to the blessings they derive 
from the wisdom and steadiness of Your Majesty's 
victorious reign." 

On the 1 7th of August, the King was pleased 
to order letters patent to pass under the great seal 
of Great Britain, for creating his Royal Highness 
the Prince of Great Britain (Electoral Prince of 
Brunswick-Lunenburg, Duke of Cornwall and 
Rothsay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, 
Lord of the Isles, and Great Steward of Scotland) 
Prince of Wales, and Earl of Chester. 

On the 8th of September, the ceremony of 
baptising the young prince was performed in the 
great council chamber of the palace, by his 
grace the Archbishop of Canterbury. His Royal 
Highness the Duke of Cumberland, and his 
Serene Highness the Duke of Mecklenburg 
Strelitz (who was represented by the Duke 



7 

of Devonshire, the Lord Chamberlain of His 
Majesty's household), being godfathers, and her 
Royal Highness the Princess Dowager of Wales 
godmother to the royal infant, who was named 
George Augustus Frederick. 

That highly revered prelate, Dr. Thomas 
Seeker, had been raised to the Primacy of Eng- 
land about four years before this time, and was 
now verging to the age of 70. He of course 
assisted in the funeral ceremonies on the death 
of George II. as well as in the proclamation of 
George III. and in the subsequent ceremonials 
of the marriage and coronation, which in. conse- 
quence of his office he had the honor to solemnize. 
He had before, when rector of St. James's, bap- 
tized the new King, who was born in that parish, 
and he was afterwards called on to perform the 
same office for four of His Majesty's children, 
the Prince of Wales, the Dukes of York and 
Clarence, and the Princess Royal; a very re- 
markable concurrence of such incidents in the 
life of one man. 

The first creation of the title of "Prince of 
Wales," in the royal family of England, occurred 



8 

in the reign of Edward I. This sovereign, to 
conciliate the affections of the Welsh, whom he 
had subdued, removed his queen, Eleanor, to 
Caernarvon Castle, in North Wales; in which 
place, on the 25th April, 1284, she was delivered 
of a son. On this the sagacious Edward sum- 
moned the Welsh barons, and demanded if they 
would be willing to subject themselves to a na- 
tive prince. Happily they consented; and hav- 
ing sworn to yield him obedience, he nominated 
the royal infant, in a subsequent charter, 
" Edward Prince of Wales;" since which auspi- 
cious event, the eldest son and heir-apparent to 
the King of England has retained that title. 

The following is a list of the princes who have 
borne the title of Prince of Wales. 

1. Edward of Caernarvon, son of Edward I., 
afterwards King Edward II. 

2. Edward of Windsor, son of Edward II., 
afterwards Edward III. 

3. Edward the Black Prince, son of Edward 
III., who died during the life of his father. 

4. Richard of Bourdeaux, son of the Black 
Prince, afterwards Richard II. 



9 

5. Henry of Monmouth, son of Henry IV., 
afterwards Henry V. 

6. Henry of Windsor, son of Henry V., after- 
wards Henry VI. 

7. Edward, son of Henry VL, murdered by 
Richard Duke of Gloucester. 

8. Edward, son of Edward IV., afterwards 
Edward V., murdered by order of his uncle, 
Richard Duke of Gloucester. 

9. Edward, son of the Duke of Gloucester 
(Richard III.), who died in the lifetime of his 
father. 

10. Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII., who also 
died during the life of his father. 

11. Henry, second son of Henry VII., after- 
wards Henry VIII. 

12. Edward, son of Henry VIII., afterwards 
Edward VI. 

13. Henry, eldest son of James I., who died 
during the life of his father. 

14. Charles, second son of James I., afterwards 
Charles I. 

15. Charles, son of Charles I., afterwards 
Charles II. 



10 

16. James, (pretended son of James II.,) 
acknowledged in 1688, but subsequently abjured. 

17. George, son of George I., afterwards 
George II. 

18. Frederic Lewis, son of George II., who 
died during the life of his father. 

19. George William Frederic, son of Frederic 
Lewis, afterwards George III. 

20. George Augustus Frederic, son of George 
III., afterwards George IV. 

When his Royal Highness was just one year 
old, their Majesties' second son, the late Duke 
of York, was born, August 16, 1763. Being so 
nearly of an age, they were able to begin their 
studies almost together, when the time arrived 
for appointing a tutor to direct their education ; 
this circumstance was undoubtedly favorable to 
the excitement of a noble emulation between the 
two brothers, and cemented the bonds of the 
friendship which always subsisted between them. 

The royal nursery was placed under the super- 
intendency of Lady Charlotte Finch, widow 
of the honorable William Finch, one of the 
most amiable and accomplished women of the 



11 

age,* who had the singular felicity of seeing all 
the branches of the royal stock, with the excep- 
tion of two infants, reared to maturity. 

The 1st of March, being St. David's day, 1765, 
Herbert Thomas, Esq., treasurer, and the rest of 
the stewards of the Society of Ancient Britons, 
erected for the support of the Welsh charity 
schools, on Clerkenwell-green, Middlesex, went 
in procession to St. James's, where they were 
admitted to see the Prince of Wales, and kiss his 
hand, and then presented his Royal Highness 
with the following address : — 

"May it please your Royal Highness, — The 
members of the society who have now the honor 
to approach the presence of your Royal Highness, 
do it with hearts full of zeal for the prosperity of 
your august parents, the person of your Royal 
Highness, and every branch of the royal family. 

"United as they are, in their sentiments of 
loyalty and charity, they hope for the protection, 
and implore the patronage of your Royal High- 



* She was daughter of the Earl of Pomfret, and mother of 
the late Earl of Winchelsea. 



12 

ness, for an institution that educates, clothes, and 
supports many poor destitute natives of that 
principality from which your Royal Highness 
derives your most distinguished title. 

" Your royal parents remember no period of 
their lives too early for doing good ; and when a 
few years shall call forth your virtues into action, 
your Royal Highness may perhaps with satisfac- 
tion reflect upon your faithful Ancient Britons, 
thus laying themselves at your feet." 

To which address his Royal Highness made the 
following answer, with the greatest propriety, 
attended with a suitable action : — 

"Gentlemen, — I thank you for this mark of 
your duty to the king, and wish prosperity to 
this charity." 

His Royal Highness was then most graciously 
pleased to present the treasurer with a hundred 
guineas for the use of the charity. 

On the 26th December of the same year, his 
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and his 
Serene Highness the hereditary Prince of Bruns- 
wick, and the Right Honorable the Earl of 
Albemarle, were invested by His Majesty with 



13 

the most noble order of the Garter. At the age 
of nine, an establishment was formed for him and 
his brother at Buckingham House. The first 
governor of the princes was the Earl of Holderness, 
under whom was Monsieur de Salzas, a Swiss 
gentleman. This was a most important trust, as 
the welfare of millions might be said to depend in 
a great measure on the first ideas instilled into 
the mind of the pupils. On this subject, a beauti- 
ful passage in the Spectator may be quoted as 
peculiarly apposite: — 

" I consider," says the famous Addison, " a 
human soul without education, like marble in a 
quarry,' which shews none of its inherent beauties 
until the skill of the polisher fetches out the 
colours, makes the surface shine, and discovers 
every ornamental cloud, spot, and vein, that runs 
through the body of it. — Education, after the 
same manner, when it works upon a noble mind, 
draws out to view every latent virtue and per- 
fection, which without such helps are never able 
to make their appearance." 

" If my reader will give me leave to change the 
allusion so soon upon him, I shall make use of 



14 

the same instance to illustrate the force of educa- 
tion, which Aristotle has brought to explain his 
doctrine of substantial forms, when he tells us 
that a statue lies hid in a block of marble ; and 
that the art of the statuary only clears away the 
superfluous matter, and removes the rubbish, 
The figure is in the stone, and the sculptor only 
finds it. What sculpture is to a block of marble, 
education is to a human soul. The philosopher, 
the saint, the hero, the wise, the good, or the 
great man, very often lie hid and concealed in a 
plebeian, which a proper education might have 
disinterred, and have brought to light. Thus we 
see the block of marble sometimes only begun to 
be chipped, sometimes rough-hewn, and but just 
sketched into a human figure ; sometimes we see 
the man appearing distinctly in all his limbs and 
features ; sometimes we find the figure wrought 
up to great elegancy ; but seldom meet with any 
to which the hand of a Phidias or a Praxiteles 
could not give several nice touches and finishes." 
M. de Salzas was of noble origin, but re- 
duced in circumstances; in consequence of 
which he was obliged to adopt the profession 



15 

of tutor to the sons of a considerable burgo- 
master in Holland. At the Hague he became 
known to Lord Holderness, who was then am- 
bassador at that court. His lordship was so 
pleased with his manners and his talents, that he 
offered to make him his private secretary. Salzas 
gladly accepted the situation, in which he gave 
complete satisfaction to the earl, who, on his 
return to England, introduced him to the King in 
terms of warm commendation. M. de Salzas, on 
his appointment as sub-preceptor, was required 
to sleep in the apartment of the two princes, and 
to be constantly with them, even in their hours 
of amusement. In discharging the duties of his 
office, he conducted himself with a propriety that 
gained alike the affections of his pupils and the 
confidence of the sovereign. At length, however, 
Lord Holderness, upon some umbrage which has 
never been clearly explained, relinquished the 
charge ; and at the same time M. de Salzas gave 
up his place also. The retirement of the earl 
was not of much consequence ; but that of his 
friend both surprised and hurt the King; who 
intreated him, in vain, to continue. Salzas, how- 



16 

ever, could not be induced by the most flattering 
allurements to remain without his patron; though 
he ever cherished a grateful respect for His 
Majesty and the whole royal family. Of the 
esteem in which he was held by the King, a proof 
appeared many years after, when Dr. Archibald 
Maclaine returned from Holland. Being on the 
terrace at Windsor, His Majesty recognized him, 
and among other things said, " Dr. Maclaine, you 
are acquainted with a very valuable friend of 
mine, Monsieur de Salzas;" and after inquiring 
about his health and pursuits, added, "I have 
written him many letters to persuade him to 
return to me ; but he always declines it." The 
doctor said, he was rather surprised at that, as 
Monsieur de Salzas always spoke of His Majesty 
in the highest terms of respect and attachment. 
The King replied, " I am glad to hear you say so; 
it gives me great pleasure to find that he retains 
the same affection for me, that I shall always bear 
towards him." 

The first classical preceptors of the two princes 
were Dr. Markham, Bishop of Chester, and Dr. 
Cyril Jackson, afterwards Dean of Christchurch. 



17 

It cannot be denied, that though no objection 
whatever could be made to the personal character 
of these two eminent men, or any doubts enter- 
tained of their qualifications for the important 
charge committed to their care, many persons 
were not satisfied with the propriety of the 
system of restraint and seclusion that was so 
strictly adhered to in the education of the Prince 
of Wales. It was feared that it might not be 
sufficiently liberal for the future sovereign of a 
free country, and that though it might render 
him a good scholar, and an accomplished gentle- 
man, it was ill calculated to form a prudent 
prince, or a great monarch. Whatever objections 
may be alleged against a public education in 
our universities, it has the happy effect of gra- 
dually familiarising young men to an intercourse 
with the world; and it is probable that if any 
unfavorable results had been produced by placing 
the Prince of Wales at a public seminary, 
they would have been less prejudicial than 
those of the plan actually adopted, which was so 
austere that the moment of the Prince's eman- 
cipation was like the escape of a prisoner from 

c 



18 

confinement. It cannot therefore be a matter of 
surprise, if, after having been debarred even from 
the innocent pleasures natural to youth, he 
should have plunged into all the enjoyments of 
society, with an avidity corresponding with the 
restraint under which he had previously been 
held. 

Dr. Markham, the late Archbishop of York, 
had risen in his profession solely by his own 
merit. At the early age of thirty, he had the dis- 
tinguished honor to be chosen first master of 
Westminster School; and during fourteen years 
he discharged, with the highest reputation, the 
laborious duties of that useful and honorable 
employment. His merits, while he presided over 
the first school in the kingdom, were not over- 
looked; and in 1767, his public services were 
rewarded with the deanery of Christchurch. 
This lucrative benefice is a dignity of great im- 
portance and responsibility, involving the care 
both of a college and a cathedral. The college, 
distinguished by its wealth, by the magnificence 
of its buildings, and the rank and number of its 
members, towers above the sister institutions of 



19 

Oxford; and it has long been the endeavour of 
those who have presided over it, to justify its 
claims to superiority by the solid distinctions of 
eminence in discipline, in learning, and whatever 
can add lustre to a religious and literary founda- 
tion. Under the vigilant guardianship of Dr. 
Markham, Christchurch preserved its accustomed 
pretensions to superiority, and seldom less than 
from twenty to thirty youths of the first families 
in the kingdom were entrusted to his care. On 
his consecration to the bishopric of Chester, he 
resigned the deanery of Christchurch, and in 
1771 was appointed preceptor to the two elder 
princes. 

The Prince of Wales made a very quick pro- 
gress, and that with little labor. Virgil and 
Horace soon became familiar to him, while Taci- 
tus, notwithstanding the brevity and obscurity of 
his style, constituted his principal delight. In 
Greek his proficiency was not less felicitous ; of 
which a proof was evinced soon after the resigna- 
tion of the Earl of Holderness. That nobleman 
was succeeded by Lord Bruce, who, though a 
good scholar for one of his rank, had not the 

c2 



20 

degree of classic knowledge necessary to qualify 
him as the superintendent of the prince's studies. 
It is true, his lordship's department was not 
strictly preceptorial, but it was requisite that he 
should be enabled to contribute that substantial 
aid towards the cultivation of the royal mind, 
which the opportunity of constant intercourse 
and frequent conversation afforded* The ap- 
pointment of Lord Bruce to the post of governor 
happened at that period when the Prince of 
Wales may be said to have passed the age of 
boyhood ; for he was now fourteen, and had made 
considerable progress in Greek. Many great 
scholars, indeed, had entered the university with 
a much more slender stock of elementary learn- 
ing than that which stored the mind of the 
Prince when this change took place in his 
tuition. 

About this time the literary world was gra- 
tified by the publication of Mr. Wood's post- 
humous "Essay on the original Genius of 
Homer." The editor of this elegant performance 
was the learned Jacob Bryant, who presented 
the first copy of the volume to the King, 



21 

previous to its appearance in public. The Prince 
of Wales was now reading the Odyssey, having 
gone through the Iliad a short time before. To 
a student of his ardent temper, therefore, eager 
for information, and enthusiastically fond of 
Homer, the acquisition of such a book as the 
Essay could not fail to yield great pleasure by 
its descriptive illustrations. Homer, with a 
guide like Mr. Wood, who had traversed the 
Troad, and other regions immortalised by the 
poet, became more interesting than ever. The 
prince read him again with new delight; and 
called the attention of his governor to the asto- 
nishing accuracy of the Homeric geography. 
Lord Bruce of course assented, but it was rather 
from courtesy than any knowledge of the subject. 
With the original Greek he had no acquaintance ; 
and all that he could gather for the purpose of 
holding a conversation upon Homer's distinctive 
merits, was obtained through the medium of 
Pope's paraphrastic version. On one occasion 
his lordship ventured to give an opinion, and to 
hazard a quotation ; the correctness of which was 
called in question by the prince, who also pointed 



22 

out some gross slips in pronunciation. Upon 
appeal to competent authority, judgment was 
given in favor of the prince. This affair 
spread, and excited the laugh so much against 
the governor, that he thought it best to lay down 
an office which he ought not to have accepted. 
By way of softening matters, he was created Earl 
of Aylesbury ; and afterwards obtained succes- 
sively the appointments of lord chamberlain and 
treasurer to the queen. 

Lord Bruce was succeeded by the Duke of 
Montagu, who, without any high pretensions to 
literature, possessed all the other substantial 
qualities to fit him for the situation. 

Soon after this change, Dr. Robert Drummond, 
Archbishop of York, died; upon which the, King, 
agreeably to a former promise, immediately 
translated the Bishop of Chester to that dignity. 
His grace of course then quitted the charge of 
tutor to the princes; and at the same time 
Dr. Jackson resigned the situation of sub-pre- 
ceptor. An idle story was circulated, as if these 
two excellent men had given some dissatisfaction, 
by suffering improper books to find their way 



23 

into the hands of the Prince of Wales, tending to 
infuse slavish principles into his mind. There 
was not a word of truth in the rumour; though at 
an earlier period, and before Dr. Markham or his 
friend had any employment about the royal 
children, a frivolous book of amusement was 
dedicated to the Prince of Wales, and presented 
to him by the author at Buckingham House. 
When the King examined it, for he was very 
careful that the princes should read nothing but 
what was strictly moral, he dismissed the book, 
with strong terms of indignation against the 
author who had taken such a liberty. 

As to Dr. Markham, it was impossible that any 
man could stand higher in the royal estimation 
than he did, all his life. 

The Prince of Wales in particular cherished 
for the venerable prelate almost a filial regard ; 
of which the late Dr. Maclaine used with pleasure 
to relate the following instances. 

The doctor happened to dine, in the summer 
of 1797, with the archbishop, just before the 
marriage of his daughter with the Earl of 
Mansfield. While at table, a letter was brought 



24 

to the archbishop from the Prince of Wales, con- 
gratulating him on the approaching union, in 
terms of so much tenderness and affection, that 
the good old man shed tears in the perusal. 

Upon another occasion, the prince wrote to 
the archbishop requesting the presentation of a 
living then vacant, to one of his Royal Highness's 
clerical friends. The archbishop, in reply, ex- 
pressed great concern that the living was already 
promised; .but added an assurance that the 
Prince might command the next piece of pre- 
ferment that should fall of equal, or superior 
value. This letter the prince answered, by 
return of post, requesting the archbishop not to 
make himself uneasy at not being able to grant 
what he had asked ; and only begged him, very 
delicately, to keep his friend in remembrance on 
a future occasion. Accordingly, when the next 
good living fell, his grace immediately presented 
the clergyman to it; and the prince, with the 
same promptitude and politeness as before, 
acknowledged the favor in the most grateful 
and affectionate terms. 

With respect to Dr. Jackson, he suffered no 



25 

diminution of the royal favor in consequence of 
his ceasing to fill an office about the prince's per- 
son. In 1783, he was appointed Dean of Christ- 
church, and was subsequently offered the bishop- 
ric of Oxford, which he refused, as well as the 
Primacy of Ireland, which it was proposed to 
bestow upon him on the death of Archbishop 
Newcombe. 

When Dr. Jackson was appointed Dean of 
Christchurch, he entered upon his office with a 
firm determination not to overlook any irregular 
conduct in the students, and to shew the strictest 
impartiality in the infliction of his censures. At 
the commencement of the long vacation, he 
issued a general order that no member of Christ- 
church should be seen at the Oxford races, and 
if any happened to be at Oxford at this time, 
they should attend the prayers at nine o'clock. 
When these prayers commence, all the college 
gates are locked, and no under-graduate is suf- 
fered to go out after that time. LordDuncannon, 
then a member of Christchurch, had previously 
engaged to dance with the daughter of the Duke 
of Marlborough at the assembly in the evening ; 



26 

and rather than violate his engagement, thought 
it necessary to transgress the dean's orders. In 
consequence of this, the dean, on the following 
morning, sent his compliments, requesting to 
speak with his lordship; upon which Lord 
Duncannon perceived that his fate was inevitable, 
and he accordingly withdrew his signature from 
the books, in order to avoid expulsion. He then 
waited upon the dean, who intimated to his lord- 
ship the disagreeable necessity in which he was 
placed; to which his lordship, with much can- 
dour, replied : " Sir, I well knew your determined 
resolution in case of a general order being trans- 
gressed, and applaud it most heartily ; but beg 
to inform you that I have saved you the trouble 
of expelling me, and hope therefore that we shall 
continue as good friends as before." Thus an 
affair, equally unpleasant to both parties, was 
concluded without any acrimonious feeling on 
either side. 

Dr. Markham was succeeded by Dr. Kurd, 
Bishop of Lichfield, and Dr. Jackson by Mr. 
Wm. Arnald, of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. 
The appointment of Bishop Hurd is said to have 



27 

been made upon the recommendation of the great 
Earl of Mansfield. Though this is probable, cer- 
tain it is that the King had many years before 
expressed his admiration of the doctor's Historical 
Dialogues in a remarkable way, saying that he 
thought the author of so constitutional a work 
would make a very proper tutor for the prince. 
It is very likely that this observation was made 
to Lord Mansfield, by whom, at a fitting season, 
it was remembered to his friend's advantage. 

Bishop Hurd's merits were very great, and few 
men at that time could be found better qualified 
to continue what Dr. Markham had so well 
begun. 

The education of a prince, especially of an 
heir-apparent to the throne of a great empire like 
that of Britain, is a concern of peculiar delicacy, 
and a trust of high responsibility. 

How well it was discharged in the present 
case, needs no other evidence than the voice of 
the public; the approbation of all parties; and 
the regard which the King had for Dr. Hurd as 
long as the prelate lived. Of that regard several 



28 

instances might here be mentioned. When Dr. 
Thomas, clerk of the closet, and Bishop of 
Winchester, died in 1781, His Majesty des- 
patched a special messenger to the Bishop of 
Lichfield, who had but just gone down to his 
diocese, desiring him to return to town im- 
mediately. On his arrival, the King gave him 
the clerkship, saying, very graciously, that in this 
he only did himself a favor ; but that in the next 
place he must have the pleasure of doing one in 
return by nominating the bishop to the see of 
Worcester, now about to be vacated by the 
translation of Bishop North to Winchester. 

Two years after this, Dr. Cornwallis, Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, died, on which the King, 
without saying a word to his ministers, offered 
the primacy to Bishop Hurd. The modest pre- 
late expressed his gratitude with much feeling, 
but begged leave to decline the dignity. " Many 
better men than himself," he said, " had been 
content to die Bishops of Worcester, and he had 
no other wish than to follow their example." 
Bishop Lowth, to whom the offer was next made, 



29 

gave a similar answer: and then, on his recom- 
mendation, the Bishop of Bangor, Dr. John 
Moore, was elevated to the vacant chair. 

Another proof of the affection which the King 
had for Dr. Hurd, appeared in one of the finest 
compliments ever paid by a sovereign to a sub- 
ject. The bishop's private seal had the bearing 
of a cross with the letters I. N.R.I, on a label, 
a glory above, and these words beneath — 
EK ITISTEIIS. His Majesty, whose observation 
nothing could escape, was struck by the device, 
and instantly resolved to make use of it for a 
purpose he was then contemplating. This was 
the founding of an annual prize, consisting of a 
gold medal, for the best theological essay by a 
student of the University of Gottingen. On the 
one side of the medal was the profile of the King; 
and on the obverse, an exact copy of Bishop 
Hurd's seal. When the medal was executed, 
His Majesty took an opportunity of presenting 
one of the first impressions to the bishop, with 
his own hand, at Buckingham House. The 
royal gift was valued as it should be, by being 
left to the Bishops of Worcester in perpetuity. 



30 

It is a trait highly honorable to the feelings of 
the Prince of Wales, that he ever continued to 
hold his preceptors in high respect. For a 
proof of this we have only to mention the two 
following short anecdotes, which reflect equal 
credit on his sensibility as a man, and on 
his condescension as a prince. On a sum- 
mer excursion through some of the western 
counties of England, the Prince happened 
to be in the neighbourhood of the palace of 
the Bishop of Worcester, and inquiring after 
the health of its venerable inhabitant, he was 
informed that his lordship was so infirm, that he 
rarely stirred out of his episcopal residence, but 
that in other respects his faculties remained 
unimpaired, and he possessed as good a share of 
health and spirits as usually fall to the lot of per- 
sons at his advanced period of life. On receiving 
this information, his Royal Highness despatched 
one of his attendants to the palace of his vene- 
rable and amiable preceptor, to ask his permission 
to wait upon him, as he understood that the state 
of his health did not permit him to come abroad. 
The good bishop, as may readily be conceived, 



31 

was charmed with the condescension of his illus- 
trious pupil, and in suitable terms expressed his 
grateful sense of the honor which his Royal High- 
ness designed to shew him. An interview suc- 
ceeded, highly interesting to those who witnessed 
it ; and the prince left the venerable prelate pene- 
trated with the kindness, affability, and flattering 
remembrance of his royal pupil. 

The other anecdote to which we refer is of a 
more recent date, and reflects perhaps still more 
honor on his Royal Highness's character. The 
prince, it is well known, for a number of years 
was in the habit of collecting portraits of all the 
eminent personages who had at any time been 
honored with his friendship. These portraits are 
executed by the first artists, and form by far the 
finest collection of modern portraits that is to be 
met with in the kingdom. Among the other por- 
traits of his distinguished friends, the Prince of 
Wales possesses an admirable likeness of the late 
Archbishop of York, which some few years ago 
was exhibited in the Royal Academy, and was 
then generally esteemed one of the finest por- 
traits produced by the British school. It was 



32 

painted by Hoppner, in his best style, and pos- 
sesses so much of the manner and feeling of Sir 
Joshua Reynolds, that it might be mistaken for a 
work of that great master. It formerly occupied 
a conspicuous situation in the crimson drawing- 
room in Carlton House, in which splendid apart- 
ment there were also a portrait of Lord Erskine, 
by Reynolds, and one of Lord Chancellor Thurlow, 
by Sir Thomas Lawrence. 

Soon after the meeting of Parliament, Feb. 8, 
1772, her Royal Highness, Augusta, Princess 
Dowager of Wales, expired, in the fifty-third year 
of her age. She was a princess possessed of 
many virtues, and had been greatly beloved and 
esteemed by the English nation. It was in the 
same year that that remarkable bill, known by 
the name of the Royal Marriage Bill, was brought 
into Parliament, and passed into a law. The im- 
mediate motive to the introduction of this bill was 
the recent marriage of the Duke of Cumberland, 
second brother to the King, with Mrs. Horton, 
relict of Colonel Horton, and daughter of Lord 
Irnham. It had long been believed that the 
Duke of Gloucester was privately married to the 



33 

dowager Countess of Waldegrave, which mar- 
riage the duke now openly avowed. By this act 
marriages contracted by members of the royal 
family are declared null and void, unless His 
Majesty's approbation be previously obtained; but 
if the parties have attained the age of twenty-five 
years, and give notice to the Privy Council of 
their intended marriage, such marriage shall be 
held good in law, unless Parliament shall, within 
the space of twelve months, declare its disappro- 
bation of the same. This bill excited great dis- 
satisfaction, and two very spirited protests 
against it were signed by eighteen peers. 

On the 30th of November, 1780, an affecting 
scene took place, in the separation of the two 
princes, by the departure of the younger for the 
continent. Their Majesties, and all the branches 
of the royal family, wept ; and the Prince of Wales 
was so moved, that he stood in a state of entire 
insensibility, unable to speak, or to express the 
concern by which he was agitated. 

It happened, unfortunately, that the prince 
became remarkably attached to his uncle, the 



34 

Duke of Cumberland, a good-natured but feeble- 
minded man, whose whole life was a course of 
weakness and dissipation. The duke took great 
delight in his nephew, and without any bad inten- 
tion led him into parties of a very questionable 
character. 

An instance of this occurred within a few weeks 
after the prince was announced as having attained 
his majority. 

Lord Chesterfield invited his Royal Highness 
and the duke to an entertainment at his house on 
Blackheath. Several persons were there, of 
course; but being all of them bon vivants, the 
bottle circulated so rapidly as to produce scenes 
of rather a tragi-comic character. Among other 
frolics, one of the company, at breaking up> let 
loose a furious mastiff, which was generally kept 
chained for fear of mischief. The dog, on gaining 
his liberty, attacked one of the footmen, and tore 
his right arm in a dreadful manner; then the ani- 
mal sprang at a fine horse, which was very nearly 
strangled ; and now such an uproar arose as threw 
the whole place into confusion. The gentlemeu 



35 

being heightened by wine, drew up in a circle, 
and commenced war upon the dog; but Towser 
kept them at defiance, and made not a few of 
them repent their temerity. At the close of the 
fray, the noble host slipped down a flight of steps, 
and nearly fractured his skull. The contest 
then terminated, the young prince jumped into 
his phaeton, and falling fast asleep, left the reins 
to his uncle, who, as good luck would have it, 
brought him safe to town. 

His Majesty was much concerned when he heard 
of this frolic ; for, as he was strictly temperate 
and regular in his own habits, he could not endure 
the least deviation from sobriety and decorum in 
any of his family. But though he reproved his 
brother for the indiscretion he had committed, 
the remonstrance was thrown away upon the 
duke, who forgot his promises as soon as he had 
made them. 

The education of the Duke of Cumberland had 
been strangely neglected; abundant and dis- 
graceful evidence of which appeared in the public 
exhibition of his letters to Lady Grosvenor, at the 

d2 



36 

trial in the Court of King's Bench before Lord 
Mansfield, when his Royal Highness had a ver- 
dict given against him for adultery. 

The most remarkable circumstance attending 
that affair was the forbearance of the earl in not 
applying to Parliament for a divorce. The reason 
why he did not was his compliance with the 
desire of the King, who was afraid that his brother 
would marry the countess, if she should be 
released from the matrimonial tie. To oblige 
His Majesty, therefore, the earl remained with and 
without a wife, much to the lady's mortification. 
As to the duke, he was too dissipated to care any 
thing about his loss of the lady, or of the thirty 
thousand pounds, which sum was paid by his 
brother. 

This duke being, once in company with Foote, 
was so delighted with the wit of the player that 
he said, " Mr. Foote, I swallow all the good things 
you say." — "Do you?" replied Foote; "then 
your Royal Highness has an excellent digestion ; 
for you never bring any of them up again." 

On meeting Mr. Gibbon in Pall Mall, he thus 



accosted him : u - How dye do ? What ! at the old 
trade ? aye, always scribble, scribble." 

In 1780, the connection commenced between 
the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Mary Robinson, 
which at the time made a great noise. 

That singular woman, whose maiden name was 
Darby, married a lawyer's clerk at the age of 
fifteen ; and as neither had any fortune, distress 
soon followed indiscretion. While Robinson was 
in prison, Mary had recourse to her pen, and by 
that means gained an introduction to Georgiana, 
Duchess of Devonshire, through whose interest 
she obtained an engagement at Drury Lane, then 
under the management of Sheridan. Thus sup- 
ported, and possessing an attractive person, she 
became a popular favorite. Her best and last 
character on the stage was that of Perdita, and in 
it she won the admiration of the prince. It is 
highly probable that there was a scheme in this ; 
for there was then a party, who, to gain an ascen- 
dancy over the prince, scrupled not to pander to 
his love of pleasure. In fact, it appears quite 
unreasonable to imagine, that a boy of eighteen, 



38 

bred up under such restraint as the prince had 
been, however smitten with the attractions of a 
beautiful female, would have ventured, without 
some kind friend to prompt and assist him, to 
make such advances to a married woman, though 
an actress; nor could the intrigue have been 
carried on, and the connection matured, without 
very culpable connivance and encouragement 
from persons who ought to have been better 
employed. The lady herself, in the memoirs of 
her life, has given a very circumstantial account 
of the whole affair — modified, of course, so as to 
place her own conduct in the most favorable 
light, though she does not appear to have any 
notion of deserving censure; but the reader whose 
mind is impressed with due respect for the obli- 
gations of religion, morality, and law, grieves 
at finding the names of so many persons, dis- 
tinguished for their talents and their rank in 
society, recorded as the open abettors of such a 
flagrant defiance of public decorum. 

Charles James Fox and the Lord Maiden 
brought Perdita and Florizel, as the prince was 



39 

how called, together. The immediate conse- 
quence of this was an establishment of the most 
splendid description for the lady, whose house 
and table were filled by persons of high rank and 
talents. At any time this would have been im- 
prudent ; but in the face of a court like that of 
George the Third, and at the close of a destruc- 
tive and disgraceful war, it merited more than 
ordinary reprehension. The King felt the stroke 
severely ; but the harshest epithet he applied to 
the prince was that of "a thoughtless boy!" 
Very different, however, were the sentiments of 
His Majesty respecting those whom he more than 
suspected as taking advantage of that thought- 
lessness. He never afterwards looked upon 
them in any other light than that of seducers. 

The connection with Mrs. Robinson lasted 
little more than two years ; and when the sepa- 
ration took place, the prince settled upon her 
£500 a year for life ; and £200 upon her daughter 
by Mr. Robinson. 

The cause of this rupture has never been 
clearly explained. But it arose in fact from aa 



40 

attachment of the lady to General Tarleton, and 
that so thinly disguised as to be quickly dis- 
covered by the prince. His Royal Highness had 
at the commencement of the connection given her 
a bond for £20,000, which was cancelled on the 
new settlement. 

Mrs. Robinson, upon her separation from the 
prince, went to Paris, where she had the curiosity 
to attend at one of the public dinners at Ver- 
sailles. The amiable queen, who was always 
remarkably courteous to foreigners, soon noticed 
the handsome Englishwoman, and paid her par- 
ticular attention. Mrs. Robinson wore the por- 
trait of the prince upon her bosom, richly orna- 
mented with brilliants. On the following day she 
received a message by the Due de Biron, con- 
veying a request that she would lend the minia- 
ture which she had worn, to the queen for a few 
hours. Mrs. R. complied, and with the picture 
she received a purse beautifully worked by the 
hands of Marie Antoinette. 

The extravagant folly of this woman knew no 
bounds; and it seemed as if she actually gloried 



41 

in her shame. Under the name of Perdita, she 
led the fashion in every article of dress. But one 
of the most extraordinary things which distin- 
guished her short and scandalous reign, remains 
to be told. One night there was a large sum 
which had been laid upon some point at 
Brookes's. As the matter could not be decided, 
Mr. Fox proposed that the aggregate should be 
laid out in an elegant carriage, and given to the 
Perdita. The whole party being the friends of 
the prince, the proposal was agreed to. The 
lady followed up this act of folly by ordering a 
Vis-a-vis, having in an oval a representation of 
the rising sun, gilding some loose and scattered 
clouds ; round this device was a curtain, having 
on the top a wreath of flowers disposed in the 
form of a coronet, beneath which appeared the 
head of a lion couchant. 

Such emblematic representations on carriages 
were common at that time ; but this was one of 
the most impudent pieces of meretricious 
blazonry ever displayed. Yet this woman 
was visited by most of the fashionable circle 



42 

of both sexes, because she was a prince's 
favorite ! 

Mary Robinson, after a life of imprudence, 
died, a cripple and in obscurity, in 180 J. She, 
however, received many valuable presents from 
the prince, through the hands of Lord Moira, to 
the last. 

On New-year's-day, 1781, there was a great 
court at St. James's, The Prince of Wales having 
had a separate establishment assigned him, he 
made his public appearance, attended by the 
lords and gentlemen of his bedchamber, his 
equerries, and other gentlemen of his suite. He 
received the compliments of the foreign minis- 
ters, and of the nobility, on the occasion. 

As we have now come to the period of the 
prince's entrance into public life, it may be proper 
to premise a few observations on a subject so 
interesting to the prince himself, and to the 
nation, who would naturally look with much 
anxiety to the first public manifestations of that 
character, which could not fail to have a decided 
influence on the welfare of the country. 



43 

It has already been observed, that the chief 
defect of the plan of the royal education appears 
to have been, that no provision was made for 
giving the prince some insight into the affairs of 
actual life. The following anecdote will give 
some idea of the restrictions that were imposed 
on the prince, to prevent him from mingling with 
society. 

About a twelvemonth before the prince attained 
his legal majority, he received the invitations of 
some of the most distinguished nobility, to make 
a tour through the country during the summer 
months ; this proposal, it may be easily conceived, 
was eagerly accepted by the young prince, and 
preparations were actually made for his journey ; 
but when the consent of his father was asked, he 
refused to permit the design to be carried into 
execution. 

The Prince of Wales, when he attained his ma- 
jority, was unquestionably the most accomplished 
young prince in Europe. Besides a correct and 
extensive knowledge of the ancient languages, he 
could converse with ease and fluency in French, 
German, and Italian. The best English writers, 



44 

especially the poets, were familiar to him ; and 
his refined taste and correct judgment on all 
subjects relative to the Belles Lettres, have never 
been disputed. He was a considerable proficient 
in music, both vocal and instrumental, and was 
always considered as an excellent judge of that 
elegant science; and his taste in the fine arts 
has been as conspicuous, as the munificence with 
which he has encouraged them. 

With all these accomplishments, the Prince 
Royal combined the advantages of an uncom- 
monly handsome person, an expressive and intelli- 
gent countenance, the most polished and grace- 
ful address, the happiest mixture of conscious 
dignity and unaffected affability, a fascination of 
manner which nothing could resist, before which 
the voice of remonstrance was silent, and discon- 
tent was changed into a feeling of admiration.* 



* The writer of these pages recollects a circumstance which 
strongly confirms this remark. A gentleman of great respecta- 
bility, with whom the prince had had extensive dealings, and 
had contracted a very large debt, used to express himself, and 
sometimes in no very measured terms, respecting the repeated 



45 

Thus circumstanced, it cannot excite surprise 
that one so well qualified to enjoy the pleasures 
that invited him under every varied form of allure- 
ment and seduction — whose social qualifications 
were so preeminent, that even without the ad- 



delays in the payment. One day, in company of several 
gentlemen, he declared his intention of going to Carlton 
House, and telling his Royal Highness how much injury he 
did to his own character by thus neglecting to satisfy the just 
demands of those to whom he was indebted. Some of the 
company expressed their doubts of his carrying this project 
into execution; and on his persisting in it, he was induced to 
promise to make us acquainted with the result of his visit to 
Carlton House. Some time afterwards, the same company 
having again met, he was called upon to fulfil his promise. 
He said, that on sending in bis name, he had been immediately 
admitted to wait on the prince, and obeyed the summons with 
a full resolution to make him sensible of the unfavorable light 
in which his Royal Highness placed himself by his neglect of 
his just engagements: but that the prince had received him 
with so much condescension, with such an appearance of 
satisfaction at his visit, and conversed with him on various 
subjects in a manner so delightful, that he had not once 
thought of the business on which he had come, till he had 
made his obeisance on quitting the apartment. 



46 

vantages of his illustrious rank, he would have 
been the ornament and the delight of every com- 
pany, however exalted or refined — should have 
preferred as his chosen associates the men with 
whom we see him surrounded on his very entrance 
into life. Among them were men of the most 
transcendent talents that even the annals of Britain 
can boast — an assemblage combining every thing 
that fancy, genius, wit, wisdom, and eloquence 
can give, to captivate, to enlighten, and to inform. 
Fox, Burke, Sheridan — what names are these! 
Their long-continued and powerful opposition to 
that fatal war which ended in the loss of our 
American empire, and an inglorious peace, had 
raised them to the highest degree of popularity in 
their own country, and fixed the eyes of Europe 
on their proceedings. At this important crisis, 
the Coalition Ministry, with the Duke of Port- 
land at its head, though Mr, Fox was in fact 
the efficient minister, was at the zenith of its 
power — where, notwithstanding the odium ex- 
cited by the union of Mr. Fox and Lord North, 
it might probably have maintained itself but for 
the celebrated India Bill introduced by Mr. Fox 



47 

in this session, which, being considered as 
threatening considerable restrictions of the royal 
authority, could not be very palatable in the 
highest quarter, and consequently led to the 
dismissal of the ministry. 

Besides the three eminent men above-men- 
tioned, the Prince of Wales honored with his 
particular friendship Lord Rawdon, afterwards 
Earl Moira, and Marquis of Hastings; Lord 
Hugh Seymour; and Rear-Admiral Payne, 
known by the name of Jack Payne, a man of the 
most polished manners and lively wit, who for 
many years held a situation in the prince's 
household. 

It will be understood, of course, that the circle 
of the Prince of Wales's most intimate connections 
would include the principal members of both 
Houses of Parliament, who followed the same 
line in politics ; and we accordingly find in the 
list of those whom he chiefly honored with his 
countenance, the Dukes of Norfolk, Bedford, 
Devonshire, Portland, and Northumberland; the 
Earls of Derby, Cholmondeley, and Fitzwilliam ; 
and the Lords St. John, Ponsonby, Craven, 



48 

and Southampton. Among the Commoners of 
distinction were Mr. (afterwards Lord) Erskine, 
who, on the formation of his Royal Highness's 
establishment, was appointed to the post of 
attorney-general to the prince, and Messrs. Bur- 
goyne, Coke, Crewe, Fitzpatrick, Francis, Grey, 
Honeywood, Knight, Lambton, Newnham, 
Plumer, Pigot, Taylor, Windham, and many 
more equally respectable in their principles and 
fortune. But besides these, among whom we 
find many of the most distinguished persons in 
the country for rank, talent, and virtue, there 
was a motley band of base flatterers and needy 
sycophants, brought into connection with them 
partly by a participation in the same political 
opinions, and partly by their readiness to indulge 
in themselves, and to encourage in others, a 
taste for the same vicious propensities, that so 
fatally obscured the glory of some of their more 
illustrious associates. Gambling, prize-fighting, 
horse-racing, and all the usual levities to which 
young men of fashion and fortune are liable, with 
all the attendant train of low company of un- 
bounded extravagance and profusion at one time, 



49 

and at another of the most urgent pecuniary 
distress, and the most disgraceful shifts to re- 
medy or to avert it — such were the drawbacks 
in the prince's connection with such men as Fox 
and Sheridan. The cup of pleasure presented 
by such hands was perhaps irresistible, and the 
prince drained it, alas ! even to the dregs. 

On the 23rd of June, a message from the King 
was communicated to the House of Lords by the 
Duke of Portland, and to the House of Commons 
by Lord John Cavendish, as chancellor of the 
exchequer, of the following tenor : — 
<c George R. 

" His Majesty, reflecting on the propriety of a 
separate establishment for his dearly beloved son 
the Prince of Wales, recommends the considera- 
tion thereof to this House ; relying on the expe- 
rienced zeal and affection of his faithful Commons 
for such aid towards making that establishment, 
as shall appear consistent with a due attention to 
the circumstances of his people, every addition to 
whose burthens His Majesty feels with the most 

sensible concern. 

« G. R." 



50 

In the debate on this message on the 25th, 
Lord John Cavendish informed the House, that 
His Majesty had graciously resolved to take upon 
himself the annual expense, and to allow the 
Prince of Wales £50,000 a year, out of the civil 
List: as His Majesty's own revenues were barely 
sufficient* it could not excite surprise that he 
applied to Parliament for aid to equip his son at 
his outset in life: the house intended for the 
prince had not been inhabited for a long time, 
and much would be required to put it in order ; 
the prince was a young man, and it was not to 
be expected that he should be a great economist: 
in conclusion, his lordship moved that the sum of 
£60,000 be granted to His Majesty towards the 
establishment of the Prince of Wales. — In the 
course of the debate, attacks were made on Lord 
North for having, it was said, endeavoured to 
persuade the cabinet to propose a far larger 
income ; and some members complimented both 
His Majesty for shewing such regard to the dis- 
tresses of the people, and his Royal Highness for 
being satisfied with a smaller establishment than 
the minister was willing to have assigned him. — 



51 

As the Coalition Ministry included the most con- 
fidential friends of the prince, it cannot be matter 
of surprise that they wished to give him a settle- 
ment of £100,000 per annum, as some preceding 
Princes of Wales had enjoyed; but the King, at 
whose suggestion the smaller sum was fixed upon, 
was unwilling, at the close of a disastrous and 
expensive war, when economy was loudly called 
for, to increase the burthens of the public by a 
larger establishment for the prince, which would 
serve only to gratify the rapacity of parasites and 
flatterers, but without adding to the prince's 
personal comfort or dignity. 

Though the arguments in favor of this smaller 
income were undoubtedly very plausible, it was 
argued by many, that by treating the prince with 
ill-judged and unmerited parsimony, and placing 
him in a worse situation than former Princes of 
Wales, and that too when the value of every ar- 
ticle was much increased, would not only excite 
unpleasant feelings in the mind of his Royal 
Highness himself, but would probably, at no 
very remote period, subject him to incon- 
veniences and embarrassments from the scanti- 

e2 



52 

ness of his income; that it would therefore be, in 
the end, more economical to make at once such a 
liberal provision as might totally supersede the 
necessity of incurring debts. It was on these 
grounds that the ministers would have made the 
allowance £100,000 per annum. The King, 
however, not only disapproved this proposal, 
but rejected it with such expressions of marked 
resentment, that the immediate resignation of 
the ministers was for a moment very probable. 

In this emergency, the Prince of Wales inter- 
posed, and gave the world, upon this, his first 
step in public life, a striking proof both of filial 
duty and public spirit. He signified his desire, 
that the whole business should be left to his 
father; and declared his readiness to accept of 
whatever provision the King in his wisdom and 
goodness might think most fit ; and, at the same 
time, he expressed his earnest wishes, that no 
misunderstanding should arise between the King 
and his ministers, on account of any arrange- 
ment, in which his personal interest only was 
concerned. 

At the opening of Parliament on the 11th of 



53 

November, 1783, his Royal Highness was intro- 
duced into the House of Peers, on which occa- 
sion the following ceremonial was observed : — 

" His Royal Highness having been, by letters 
patent, dated the 19th day of August, in the 
second year of His Majesty's reign, created 
Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, was, in his 
robes, (which with the collar and order of the 
Garter he had put on in the earl-marshal's room,) 
introduced into the House of Peers in the follow- 
ing order : 

Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, with his staff of 

office. 

Earl of Surry, 
Deputy Earl Marshal of England. 

Lord Privy Seal. 

Garter Principal King of Arms, in his Robe, with the 
Sceptre, bearing his Royal Highness's Patent. 

Sir Peter Burrel, 
Deputy Great Chamberlain of England. 

Viscount Stormont, 
Lord President of the Council. 



54 

The Coronet, 

On a crimson velvet cushion, 

Borne by Viscount Lewisham, one of the gentlemen of 

his Royal Highness's Bedchamber. 

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, 

Carrying his Writ of Summons, supported by his Uncle, 

the Duke of Cumberland, and the Dukes of 

Richmond and Portland. 

" And proceeding up the House with the usual 
reverences, the writ and patent were delivered to 
the Earl of Mansfield, speaker, on the woolsack, 
and read by the clerk of the Parliament at the 
table, his Royal Highness and the rest of the 
procession standing near : after which his Royal 
Highness was conducted to his chair on the right 
hand of the throne, the coronet and cushion 
having been laid on a stool before the chair; and 
his Royal Highness being covered as usual, the 
ceremony ended. 

"Some time after His Majesty entered the 
House of Peers, and was seated on the throne 
with the usual solemnities, and having delivered 



55 

his most gracious speech, retired out of the 
House. 

"Then his Royal Highness at the table took 
the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, and made 
and subscribed the declaration; and also took 
and subscribed the oath of abjuration." 

On the formation of the prince's establish- 
ment, the residence assigned to him was Carlton 
House, Pall Mall, which, however, required very 
great and expensive alterations and improve- 
ments, before it could be considered as a suitable 
abode for the heir-apparent of the British throne. 
The repairs were commenced in 1783, under the 
direction of Mr. Holland, who also held, till his 
death, the appointment of Architect to his Royal 
Highness. Though the general effect of the exte- 
rior of Carlton House was deficient in unity of 
character, and was severely criticised, the excel- 
lency of the internal arrangements, and the 
beauty of many parts, did great credit to the 
architect, particularly when we consider the 
difficulty of altering and modernising so extensive 
an edifice. 

The estate formerly belonged to the celebrated 



56 

Earl of Burlington, and was purchased in 1732 
for Frederick, Prince of Wales, who usually held 
his court here till within a few days before his 
death; and here too the Princess Dowager of 
Wales continued to reside, not only during the 
reign of His Majesty George II., but likewise 
under that of her son, George III. to the time of 
her death in 1772. It was here that George III. 
held his first council, on his accession to the 
throne. 

After the death of the Princess Dowager of 
Wales, it remained unoccupied; and at the time 
that it was selected for the residence of the 
prince, in 1783, it had fallen into a state of dila- 
pidation which rendered a thorough and sub- 
stantial repair absolutely indispensable. 

On the 21st of the same month, his Royal 
Highness was sworn of the Privy Council. 

It was unfortunate for the prince, and proved 
the ruin of his party, that his first vote in the 
House of Lords should be in favor of Fox's India 
Bill, in December, 1783. The King saw, or 
fancied he saw, an opposition organizing against 
him, headed by his son. He expressed his eon- 



57 

cern that the prince should so soon take the lead 
in political measures of the greatest magnitude. 
He thought that " the loss of one settlement in 
the West would be a warning, without risking our 
possessions in the East." Upon this the prince 
retraced his steps, and did not appear again in 
the House upon this question. 

The failure of Mr. Fox's celebrated India Bill 
was soon followed by the breaking up of the 
administration of which he was the soul. When, 
after the lapse of nearly half a century, we take 
an impartial view of all the circumstances con- 
nected with this bill, it does not appear that the 
rejection of it in the Upper House should in 
itself have sufficed to produce the signal effects 
that in fact resulted from it. But the popularity 
of the minister with whom it originated was 
totally and for ever lost and annihilated by that 
ill-advised and astonishing coalition, which was at 
the time the theme of universal and vehement 
execration. " There are, no doubt," says an able 
writer, " situations of extraordinary difficulty 
and danger, which call for the united exertions of 
those who have been most opposite in sentiments 



58 

and conduct ; but the nation was not at this time 
disposed to believe that any such danger or diffi- 
culty existed ; and the coalition of persons and 
principles radically hostile, and which no effort of 
art, or length of time, could assimilate, was uni- 
versally branded as a gross and palpable sacrifice 
of every sentiment of honor, consistency, and 
rectitude." 

Whatever may have been the motives that im- 
pelled Mr. Fox to such a union with Lord North, 
the consequences were highly injurious to him- 
self and to the country, and have fully borne out 
the prediction of Lord Camden, who, on receiving 
the intelligence of it, said to a nobleman of the 
highest rank, "There is now an end of all public 
confidence in public men; ministers for the next 
half century are freed from all restraint, and may 
bid defiance to all opposition." By this unhappy 
step, Mr. Fox, whose commanding talents, poli- 
tical wisdom, and real patriotism, ought to have 
placed him in the highest situation in the service 
of his country, was condemned to remain for 
nearly his whole remaining life the leader of an 
able, but inefficient opposition to a highly popular 



59 

minister, who, with talents equal to his own, with 
more lofty ambition, and the advantage of a pri- 
vate character unsullied by any vice, had gained 
a hold on the minds of the people which he 
retained for the long period of more than 
twenty years. 

Another result of this affair was the estrange- 
ment of the Prince of Wales from the King his 
father. The whigs being personally as well as 
politically odious to His Majesty, the friendship 
with which they were honored by the heir- 
apparent could not fail to be highly offensive to 
him, and was undoubtedly one of the causes of 
that want of cordiality, which, notwithstanding the 
exalted domestic virtues of our revered sovereign, 
and the truly filial respect always shewn to him 
by his son, was but too manifest on many occa- 
sions. On the other hand, however the whigs 
might be flattered with the countenance of the 
prince, the political advantage which they were 
likely to derive from the connection was probably 
much overrated by them ; and on the whole, there 
is much truth in the following observations of a 
popular writer: 



60 

"That a young prince, fond of pleasure and 
impatient of restraint, should have thrown him- 
self into the arms of those who were most likely 
to be indulgent to his errors, is nothing surprising 
either in politics or ethics. But that mature and 
enlightened statesmen, with the lessons of all 
history before their eyes, should have been 
equally ready to embrace such a rash alliance, 
or should count upon it as any more than a tem- 
porary instrument of faction, is, to say the least 
of it, one of those self-delusions of the wise, which 
shew how vainly the voice of the past may speak 
amid the loud appeals and temptations of the 
present. 

"In some points, the breach that now took place 
between the prince and the King bore a close 
resemblance to that which had disturbed the pre- 
ceding reign. In both cases, the royal parents 
were harsh and obstinate— in both cases money 
was the chief source of dissension — and in both 
cases the genius, wit, and accomplishments of 
those with whom the heir-apparent connected 
himself, threw a splendor round the political 
bond between them, which prevented even 



61 

themselves from perceiving its looseness and 
fragility." 

In this same year that extraordinary personage, 
Philip, Duke de Chartres, afterwards of Orleans, 
celebrated during the French revolution by 
the name of Philippe Egalit6, visited England, 
and for two months became the constant 
companion of the Prince of Wales. He had 
before this affected the English dress and style of 
living to a degree that rendered him ridiculous. 
How a man so utterly unprincipled could gain 
the confidence of the prince, is not easy to say. 
The duke was rich, profuse, and gay to excess. 
At Carlton House he was almost an inmate, and 
numerous entertainments of the most splendid 
kind were given to do him honor. Sir Joshua 
Reynolds was employed to paint his por- 
trait, which was said to be one of the best ever 
executed by that admirable artist. A few years 
since, when a fire broke out at Carlton House, 
this fine painting received great damage. 

It was observed that when the Duke returned 
to Paris the bucks there, who had before a turn 
for English manners and dress, became perfect 



62 

heretics in fashion, being jockey clad in the New- 
market style, and wearing the Prince of Wales's 
boots and buckskins. 

Another French personage of distinction, who 
about this time, made England his retreat, and 
obtained the friendship of the Prince of Wales, 
was the Duke de Lauzun, better known by his 
subsequent title of Duke de Biron. He had served 
in America with La Fayette, and there became 
acquainted with Lord Rawdon. 

At the close of the war, he became possessed 
of a small villa at Mont-rouge, in the vicinity of 
Paris. It was completely fitted up in the English 
style, and was the scene of great festivity . The 
Duke de Chartres followed the example of 
Lauzun, at his palace of Monceau, which was 
tenanted by English domestics. English liberty 
was extolled, and French despotism reprobated, 
by which means the revolutionary spirit was 
spread among the inferior classes of society. 

Lauzun's extravagant habits soon involved him 
in difficulties, and the revolution increased them. 
He then repaired to England, and while here 
succeeded to the title and estate of his uncle, 



63 

the Duke de Biron ; but the one was empty, and 
the other was locked up by the hand of anarchy. 
Being involved in debts he could not clear, he was 
arrested, and confined some weeks in the house 
of a sheriff's officer. In this embarrassment, he 
made known his case to the Earl of Moira, who 
liberated him, with the assistance of the prince. 

Biron then returned to France, where he 
renewed his friendship with the Duke of Orleans, 
now citizen Egalite; and by his advice he took 
the command of the revolutionary army of La 
Vendue. But being considered inactive and 
aristocratic, he was recalled to Paris, deprived, 
and guillotined. 

On the 10th of March, 1784, the internal 
alterations at Carlton House being finished, the 
prince gave a grand ball to the principal nobility 
and gentry. 

On the 18th of May the Prince. of Wales had 
a public breakfast at Carlton House. About 
six hundred persons assembled in the gardens at 
two o'clock. The preparations were very magni- 
ficent; covers were laid under nine marquees for 
two hundred and fifty persons ; and the refresh- 



64 

ments consisted of the finest fruits of the season, 
confectionaries, ices, creams, and ornamental 
designs. After the company had taken refresh- 
ments, they rose to dance. A beautiful level, in 
the shade of a group of trees, was the spot 
selected for the ball, which was opened by the 
prince and the Duchess of Devonshire, then the 
leading star of the fashionable hemisphere. The 
breakfast ended at six! ! 

On Saturday, 14 th of April, the Prince of Wales 
was admitted a member of the Beef-steak Club. 
His Royal Highness having signified his wish of 
belonging to this society, and there not being a 
vacancy, it was proposed to make him an hono- 
rary member; but that being declined, it was 
agreed to increase the number from twenty-four 
to twenty-five, in consequence of which his Royal 
Highness was unanimously elected. The beef- 
steak club had been instituted just fifty years, 
and consisted of some of the most classical and 
sprightly wits in the kingdom. In the great fire 
which lately consumed the English Opera-house 
and several adjoining buildings, the Beef-steak 
Club-house, with all its furniture, and the records 
of the society, was destroyed. 



65 

Some time after the rupture of the prince's 
intercourse with Mrs. Robinson, his Royal High- 
ness formed an acquaintance with a lady of the 
nameof Fitzherbert; and about the beginning of the 
year 1786 this new connection became sufficiently 
public to afford matter for general discourse. 
This lady was several years older than the prince ; 
but, though rather en-bon-point, still possessed 
considerable personal attractions, united with 
dignified manners and great accomplishments. 
She was in the enjoyment of a handsome income, 
and had always borne an irreproachable character. 
Her family was respectable ; she was the daughter 
of W. Smythe, Esq. of Tonge Castle, and niece 
to Sir Edward Smythe, Bart, of Acton Burnel, in 
the county of Salop, and distantly related to the 
noble family of Sefton, in the kingdom of Ireland. 
Her sister was married to Sir Carnaby Hagger- 
stone, Bart. Before the age of twenty, she 
married John Weld, Esq. of Lul worth Castle, 
Dorsetshire, a widower. After his death she 
became the wife of Mr. Fitzherbert, of Swinner- 
ton, in Staffordshire. This gentleman being in 
London during the riots in 1780, was among the 

F 



m 

spectators of the destruction of the house of 
Lord Mansfield. On this occasion he over-heated 
himself, and at his return home had the impru- 
dence to go into a cold bath, which caused his 
death. Mrs. Fitzherbert then went to Italy, and 
soon after her return from that country, attracted 
the notice of the prince at Brighton. The man- 
ner in which the parties behaved to each other, 
publicly and privately, excited great surprise, and 
it was at length first whispered, and then con- 
fidently asserted, that to silence the lady's 
scruples, the ceremony of marriage had been 
celebrated between them according to the ritual 
of the Church of Rome, to which communion she 
belonged. Though the story was on the face of 
it sufficiently absurd, since those scruples could 
not be very great which might be removed by 
the performance of a ceremony notoriously illegal 
and illusory, it however gained so much credit 
as to be noticed in the House of Commons, as 
we shall presently see. 

A few years' experience had rendered it but too 
manifest that the income allowed for the support 
of his Royal Highness was inadequate to the 



67 

purpose, as had been foreseen by Mr. Fox and 
others at the time when the settlement was made. 
In 1786, it appeared that the prince had con- 
tracted debts to the amount of £100,000, besides 
£50,000 and upwards expended on Carlton House. 
His Royal Highness's conduct on this occasion 
was such as did great honor to the rectitude of 
his heart, and to the firmness and vigor of his 
mind. His first application was to the King his 
father, declaring at the same time, that, if any 
part of his conduct were thought improper, he 
would alter it, and conform to the wishes of His 
Majesty, in every thing that became him as a 
gentleman. The King, on receiving this dutiful 
communication, desired that a statement of the 
prince's affairs might be laid before him; but 
(whether from any dissatisfaction with these 
accounts, or with other parts of the prince's 
conduct, or some other cause, has not transpired) 
a direct refusal to afford him any assistance was 
conveyed to his Royal Highness on the 4th of 
July, by the medium of Lord Southampton, 
Groom of the Stole to his Royal Highness. 
On this refusal, the prince conceived himself 

f2 



68 

bound in honor to adopt the only expedient that 
was now left to him. He then resolved to sup- 
press the establishment of his household, to 
abridge himself of every superfluous expense, 
and to set apart a sum of £40,000 per annum for 
the liquidation of his debts. 

But the Prince of Wales's notions of equity 
were far from stopping here. His Royal Highness 
had hitherto indulged in a passion, frequent among 
persons of high rank — that of training running 
horses for Newmarket, and other places of public 
amusement of the same kind. But in this emer- 
gency, he scrupled not a moment to give up a 
favorite and an innocent relaxation, the more 
speedily to satisfy the claims of his creditors. 
Accordingly, his racing stud, which had been 
formed with great judgment and expense, and 
was looked upon as one of the most complete in 
the kingdom, his hunters, and even his coach- 
horses, were sold by public auction, and produced 
to the amount of seven thousand guineas. At the 
same time the buildings and interior decorations 
of Carlton House were stopped, and some of the 
most considerable rooms shut up from use. The 



69 

number of his attendants was also diminished; 
but, with that thoughtfulness and kind consider- 
ation which always distinguish a truly generous 
mind, care was taken to settle pensions on those 
who would have otherwise been reduced to 
distress on quitting the prince's service. As he 
was a kind, provident, and indulgent master, so 
no prince was ever more cordially and zealously 
beloved by his servants. On this occasion many 
of them made him a voluntary offer of their 
services, free from every expense ; and it was not 
without tears of reluctance, soothed with the 
promise of being taken into his service again, 
whenever his circumstances would admit of the 
re-establishment of his household, that these 
humble but faithful retainers were prevailed on 
to quit the palace of their much-loved master. 

This conduct, however laudable, did not escape 
censure. It was represented, especially by the 
followers of the court, as precipitate, and dis- 
respectful to the King, and probably contributed 
to increase the distance which too long subsisted 
between the prince and his father. After the 
attempt on the King s life, in August, 1786, by 



70 

Margaret Nicholson, a remarkable proof was 
given of the displeasure which the prince had 
incurred. No notice whatever of the affair was 
sent to him from the court. He learned it 
at Brighton from a private correspondent. He 
immediately hastened to Windsor, where he was 
received by the Queen, but the King did not 
see him. 

While his Royal Highness was in this situation 
of embarrassment, the Duke of Orleans, who was 
then on a second visit to this country, pressed 
him in the strongest manner to accept a loan 
from him, till some favorable change should take 
place in his circumstances. The prince appears 
to have accepted the offer; but his Highness's 
political friends being informed of the plan, con- 
vinced him of the impropriety and danger of 
placing himself in a state of dependence on a 
French prince. The negociations in this extraor- 
dinary affair must have proceeded farther than has 
been supposed, as appears from the two following 
letters from the Duke of Portland to Mr. Sheridan, 
inserted by Mr. Moore in his life of that remark- 
able man. 



71 

" Sunday, Noon, 13* A Dec. 
"Dear Sheridan, 

" Since I saw you, I have received a confir- 
mation of the intelligence which was the subject 
of our conversation. The particulars varied in no 
respect from those I related to you, except in 
the addition of a pension, which is to take place 
immediately on the event, which entitles the 
creditors to payment, and is to be granted for 

life to a nominee of the Duke of O s. The 

loan was mentioned in a mixed company, by two 
of the Frenchwomen and a Frenchman (none of 
whose names I know), in Calonnes presence, who 
interrupted them, by asking how they came to 
know any thing of the matter, then set them right 
in two or three particulars which they had mis- 
stated, and afterwards begged them, for God's 
sake, not to talk of it, because it might be their 
complete ruin. 

" I am going to Bulstrode, but will return at a 
moment's notice, if I can be of the least use in 
getting rid of this odious engagement, or prevent 
its being entered into, if it should not be yet 

completed. 

" Your's ever, 

(t p " 



72 



" Dear Sheridan, 

"I think myself much obliged to you for 

what you have done. I hope I am not too 

sanguine in looking to a good conclusion of this 

bad business. I will certainly be in town by two 

o'clock. 

"Yours ever, 

"P. 

" Buhtrode, Monday, 14 th Dec, 
"9, A.M." 

It is said that the Duke of Orleans was so 
affronted at the termination of the affair, that he 
never spoke to the prince afterwards. 

Under these circumstances, it was judged 
expedient to appeal to the justice and generosity 
of Parliament. Mr. Sheridan, who stood very 
high in the prince's confidence, had twice in the 
year 1786 alluded to his Royal Highness's 
embarrassments, which were in truth sufficiently 
notorious from the steps that he had himself so 
laudably adopted in the retrenchment of his 
expenses. The opposition were certainly ready 
to avail themselves of the advantage which the 
natural discontent of the prince would give" 



73 

them; and accordingly, on the 20th of April, 
1787, Mr. Alderman Newnham brought the 
subject formally before the House of Commons, 
by asking Mr. Pitt whether he intended to 
propose any measure to raise the prince from his 
embarrassed situation. Mr. Pitt having replied 
that it was not his duty to bring forward such a 
subject except by His Majesty's commands, and 
that therefore he need not return any answer, 
further than that His Majesty had not honored him 
with any such commands, Mr. Newnham gave 
notice that he should bring it regularly before the 
House, by a motion, on the 4th of May. 

Meantime the prince's friends exerted them- 
selves to obtain the support of the independent 
members of Parliament to the intended motion ; 
and at several meetings held for the purpose, 
their numbers were so considerable that Mr. Pitt 
became seriously alarmed, and on the 24th of 
April, after requesting Mr. Newnham to inform 
the House more particularly of the nature of his 
motion, adverted to the extreme delicacy of the 
subject; and declared that the knowledge which 
he possessed of many circumstances relating to 



74 

it, made him extremely anxious to prevent the 
discussion of it. Should Mr. N. persist, it would 
be necessary to lay those circumstances before 
the public. In the course of this debate, Mr. 
Rolle, member for Devonshire, a strong adherent 
of the minister, deprecated the agitation of the 
question, declaring that it involved matter essen- 
tially affecting the Constitution both in church and 
state. These words were well known to allude 
to the rumoured marriage between the prince 
and Mrs. Fitzherbert. A considerable alarm was 
excited by this mention of the subject. Had 
any such ceremony taken place, it is certain 
that the Royal Marriage Act would have 
reduced it to a mere vain form, which could 
have no legal force, and could have served 
no other purpose than that of satisfying the 
scruples of one of the parties. But there was 
another point of view in which the friends of 
the prince and the country found reasonable 
ground of alarm. The Bill of Rights says, 
" Every person who shall marry a Papist, shall 
be for ever incapable of inheriting the crown of 
this realm, and in such a case the people of these 



75 

realms shall be, and are hereby absolved from their 
allegiance." This statute, therefore, contemplates 
such a marriage as a legal and binding act, the per- 
formance of which however incurs a forfeiture of 
a certain right. The Marriage Act, prohibiting 
the members of the royal family from contracting 
any marriage without His Majesty's consent, before 
the age of twenty-five, undoubtedly would have 
nullified the marriage in question, if it had been 
performed; but did the illegality of the act 
exempt the party from the penalty attached to 
it by the Bill of Rights? This is a question 
which is not decided ; and it is certain that there 
are cases in law from which, by analogy, it 
might be answered in the affirmative. 

Mr. Newnham stated on the 27th of April, that 
what he intended was to move an address to 
His Majesty, praying him to take into consider- 
ation the embarrassed situation of the prince, and 
to give his Royal Highness such relief as he 
might think fit, pledging the house to make it 
good. 

Several members on both sides expressed their 
wish that the matter might be arranged in some 



76 

other manner. Mr. Sheridan, referring to the 
former debate, declared that the prince had no 
wish to conceal any part of his conduct, or to 
prevent its being fully discussed and explained. 
Mr. Rolle repeated his observations, and Mr. 
Pitt said that the circumstances to which he had 
alluded, related only to the pecuniary affairs of 
the prince ; and that he had no idea of insinuating 
any thing injurious to his Royal Highness's 
character. 

On the 30th, Alderman Newnham announced by 
the prince's express desire, that he should pursue 
his design; and Mr. Fox, who was not present 
when the subject was before mentioned, now 
declared that he had the authority of the prince 
to contradict the report of the marriage in the 
fullest and most unqualified terms:— it was, Mr. 
Fox said, "a miserable calumny, a low malicious 
falsehood, which had been propagated without 
doors, and made the wanton sport of the vulgar — 
a tale, fit only to impose on the lowest orders ; 
a monstrous invention, the report of a fact which 
had not the smallest foundation, and actually 
impossible to have happened." 



77 

This, however, was mere declamation, and 
Mr. Rolle was so little convinced by it, that he 
reminded the honorable gentleman of the act 
which forbade such a marriage, and observed 
that though it could not be legally done, there 
were ways in which it might have taken place, and 
in which, in the minds of some persons, that law 
might have been satisfactorily evaded. Fox upon 
this grew warmer, and said, "he did not deny 
the calumny merely with regard to certain 
existing laws, but that he denied it in toto: it 
not only never could have happened legally, but 
it never did happen in any way whatsoever, and 
had from the beginning been a base and malicious 
falsehood." 

The favorable impression which the debate, the 
open and manly conduct of the prince, and the 
harshness with which he had been treated in his 
most private and personal concerns, left upon the 
minds of men both within and without the doors 
of Parliament, appear to have made the minister 
apprehend, that when the question came to be 
debated, he might be left in a minority. Over- 
tures were made to the prince to adjust the busi- 



78. 

ness by private negociation; and by the King's 
desire Mr. Pitt had an interview on the 3rd of 
May, at Carlton House, with his Royal Highness, 
at which the latter was informed that if the 
intended motion were withdrawn, every thing 
might be settled to his satisfaction. Accordingly, 
the next day (the 4th) Alderman Newnham, in a 
very crowded House, said that he had the happi- 
ness to acquaint the House that his intended 
motion was no longer necessary. 

On the 21st, a message from the King stated 
His Majesty's concern at having to inform the 
two Houses that the Prince of Wales had incurred 
debts to a larger amount than could be discharged 
from his annual income, without rendering it 
impossible for him to support his rank; that His 
Majesty had a well-grounded expectation, that 
the prince would avoid contracting any debts in 
future; and that His Majesty had devoted an 
additional sum of £10,000 per annum to be paid 
from his civil list. 

The House, on the following day, resolved on 
an address to His Majesty, assenting to the pro- 
position for the augmentation of the prince's 



79 

income by £10,000 yearly out of the civil list; 
recommending an issue from the civil list of 
£161,000 for the discharge ofhis debts, and£20,000 
more on account of the works at Carlton House, 
promising to make the same good. But neither 
were the debts paid, nor the works finished. 

To return to the alleged marriage: The dis- 
passionate reader cannot help seeing how equi- 
vocal the declaration of Mr. Fox is; and as a 
proof that he carried his zeal farther than he was 
warranted, it is a known fact that Mrs. Fitzherbert 
considered herself wronged; on which account 
she never would, to his dying day, exchange with 
him one word; and when they chanced to meet, 
she always rose and indignantly left the room. 

The prince himself was troubled at the embar- 
rassment in which the zeal of Mr. Fox had in- 
volved him, but how to extricate himself was the 
difficulty; a public explanatory retractation of 
what had been so peremptorily asserted, would 
have cast a reflection upon Fox, and have made 
the matter still more alarmingly serious than it 
was ; and to ask him to disavow his own state- 
ment, was out of the question. The lady, however, 



80 

demanded justice, and she had a right to it. " In 
this exigency," says a popular writer,* " applica- 
tion was made to Mr. Grey, (now Lord Grey,) 
who was then fast rising into the eminence which 
he has since so nobly sustained, and whose 
answer to the proposal is said to have betrayed 
some of that unaccommodating high-mindedness, 
which, in more than one collision with royalty, 
has proved him but an unfit adjunct to a court. 
The reply to this refusal was, ' Then I must get 
Sheridan to say something;' — and hence, it 
seems, was the origin of those few dexterously 
unmeaning compliments with which the latter, 
when the motion of Alderman Newnham was 
withdrawn, endeavoured, without in the least 
degree weakening the declaration of Mr. Fox, to 
restore that equilibrium of temper and self-esteem, 
which such a sacrifice of gallantry to expediency 
had naturally disturbed. In alluding to the offer 
of the prince, through Mr. Fox, to answer any 
questions upon the subject of his reported mar- 



* Moore — Life of Sheridan, 



81 

riage, which it might be thought proper to put 
to him in the House, Mr. Sheridan said, * That 
no such idea had been pursued, and no such 
inquiry had been adopted, was a point which 
did credit to the decorum, the feelings, and the 
dignity of Parliament. But whilst his Royal 
Highness's feelings had no doubt been consi- 
dered on this occasion, he must take the liberty 
of saying, however some might think it a sub- 
ordinate consideration, that there was another 
person entitled, in every delicate and honorable 
mind, to the same attention; one whom he would 
not otherwise venture to describe or allude to, 
but by saying it was a name, which malice or 
ignorance alone could attempt to injure, and 
whose character and conduct claimed and were 
entitled to the truest respect.' " 

All this only shewed the perplexity in which 
the prince's friends stood ; and, it may be said, 
their total inability to dispel the doubt which 
rested on the public mind. 

Nor were the near relatives of the lady in a 
more pleasant condition. They felt for the honor 



82 

of their family in general, as well as for that, of 
the person who had stood in so ambiguous a 
situation. As, however, the public disclosure of 
what would be illegal under any circumstances, 
must be painfully disagreeable to all parties, it 
was deemed wisest to preserve silence. But 
though the matter died away, the independent 
part of the nation was not satisfied; and at a 
future period, when the question of the regency 
was agitated, Mr. (now Lord) Rolle brought the 
subject again upon the carpet, in some of the 
stormy debates occasioned by that struggle for 
power. Since then little has been said of the 
real nature of the connection. But it is worthy 
of notice, that the brother-in-law of Mrs. Fitz- 
herbert, who inherits the estates of her first 
husband, has recently been raised to the dignity 
of Cardinal, if not precisely through British in- 
fluence, yet not improbably in some measure out 
of compliment to His Majesty. This is a cir- 
cumstance that hereafter will furnish matter of 
history. 

Mrs. Fitzherbert is now in her seventy- 



33 

fifth year, and resides at Brighton, in the enjoy- 
ment of the annuity of £10,000 settled on her by 
the prince. 

The next occasion on which the Prince of 
Wales came more particularly before the public 
was on the alarming indisposition of the King, 
towards the close of the year 1788. The first 
symptoms of his disorder appeared in the 
beginning of October, and increased so much as 
to render it necessary to defer the levee at 
St. James's on the 17th, which was, however, 
held on the 24th, His Majesty being well enough 
to appear at it. On the 4th of November he had 
a relapse, and the disorder gaining strength, 
orders were given on the 13th to the Archbishop 
of Canterbury to compose a form of prayer for 
His Majesty's recovery ; and circular letters were 
sent to the members of the two Houses of Parlia- 
ment, earnestly requesting their attendance on 
the 20th of November, to which day the Parlia- 
ment stood prorogued. On their assembling, 
formal notice of the King's illness was given to 
the Lords by the chancellor, and to the Commons 
by Mr. Pitt ; and as the session could not be 

g2 



84 

opened in the regular mode, an adjournment 
of fourteen days was recommended, at the ex- 
piration of which, should the King's illness 
unhappily continue, it would be their duty 
immediately to enter into the consideration of 
public affairs. Parliament met again on the 4th 
of December, and received a report from the 
privy council, containing an examination of the 
royal physicians; with which, considering the 
extreme delicacy of the subject, it was resolved 
to rest satisfied, without any more express and 
direct information, especially as the examinations 
of the council had been taken on oath, which the 
House of Commons had no power to administer. 
"The situation of affairs," says an able writer, 
"was at this period singularly critical. The 
Prince of Wales, into whose hands the govern- 
ment of the country was soon likely to fall, 
retained a deep resentment against the present 
ministers for their recent conduct respecting him, 
and took no pains to conceal his decided predi- 
lection for the person and politics of Mr. Fox. 
This distinguished leader, on the earliest intelli- 
gence of the King's indisposition, had returned 



85 

from a summer excursion to the continent with 
incredible expedition; and in contemplation of 
an approaching change, a new arrangement of 
administration was already believed to be formed, 
consisting of the principal members of the former 
Coalition Ministry, Lord North only excepted, 
and of which the Duke of Portland was to be 
once more the ostensible head. The policy of 
opposition seemed evidently repugnant to every 
idea of unnecessary delay. Yet doubts were 
unaccountably started by Mr. Fox, Mr. Burke, 
and others of the same party, whether Parliament 
could, in this momentous case, dispense with 
that sort of evidence on which they had been 
accustomed to proceed. The validity of the 
objection was very faintly contested, and a com- 
mittee of twenty-one persons in each House, 
appointed, after no long debate, to examine and 
report the sentiments of the royal physicians. 
The report of the committee was laid upon the 
table of the House of Commons on the 10th of 
December; when a motion was made by Mr. 
Pitt, for the appointment of another committee 
to inspect the journals for precedents of such 



86 

proceedings as had been adopted in former 
instances, when, the sovereign authority was 
suspended by sickness, infirmity, or any other 
cause. 

" Mr. Fox, probably sensible of the error he had 
committed in the first instance, now opposed with 
energy the present motion, as calculated only 
for delay. With respect to precedents, there 
were, he said, notoriously none which applied 
to the present instance; and he affirmed, that all 
that was requisite to their ultimate decision had 
been obtained by the report now lying on their 
table. By that report they had ascertained the 
incapacity of the sovereign. And he advanced as 
a proposition deducible from the principles of the 
constitution, and the analogy of the law of here- 
ditary succession, that whenever the sovereign 
was incapable of exercising the functions of his 
high office, the heir-apparent, if of full age and 
capacity, had as indisputable a claim to the exer- 
cise of the executive authority, in the name and 
on the behalf of the sovereign, during his incapa- 
city, as in the case of his natural demise." 

This imprudent assertion of right gave to 



87 

Mr. Pitt an advantage which he immediately 
seized, and never lost during the further discus- 
sion of this memorable question. He stigmatized 
such an assertion as nearly equivalent to treason 
against the constitution, and, running into the 
opposite extreme, affirmed that, in a case like the 
present, the Prince of Wales had no more right to 
exercise the power of government than any other 
person in the kingdom, and that it was for the 
other branches of the legislature to provide a sub- 
stitute for the royal authority. This unqualified 
proposition was in fact as erroneous as that of 
Mr. Fox, but it gave l?itt the incalculable 
advantage of shewing himself the advocate of 
popular rights, while Mr. Fox appeared incau- 
tiously to have abandoned the cause of which 
he had ever been the most able, zealous, and con- 
sistent advocate. Mr. Fox not choosing to take 
the sense of the House, Mr. Pitt's motion for 
precedents was carried without a division. 

A similar motion was made the next day by- 
Lord Camden in the House of Peers, and the 
doctrine of Mr. Fox reprobated by his lordship 
with great severity. It was on the other hand 



88 

defended with eloquence by Lord Loughborough 
and Lord Stormont, the latter concluding his 
speech with recommending an immediate address 
to the Prince of Wales, intreating him to assume 
the exercise of the royal authority. The discussion 
of the abstract question of right being perceived 
to afford a great and unexpected advantage to 
the ministry, the Duke of York, soon after this de- 
bate, speaking in the name of the prince, expressed 
his wishes " that the question might be waved. 
No claim of right," his Highness said, " had 
been advanced by the Prince of Wales ; and he 
was confident that his brother too well under- 
stood the sacred principles which seated the 
House of Brunswick upon the throne, ever to 
assume or exercise any power, be his claim what 
it might, that was not derived from the will of the 
people, expressed by their representatives." 

Lord Thurlow, who had at first consented to 
take a part in the new administration, in which 
he was to have had the post of Lord President, 
now began to vary in his policy, and to spfeak of 
the disgrace of deserting the sovereign in his 
present distressed situation. His own debt of 



89 

gratitude, he said, was ample, and " when he 
forgot his King, might God forget him;" this 
undoubtedly sounds very well; but we apprehend 
that no great breach of charity will be committed, 
by assenting to the vehement suspicion of his 
contemporaries, that Thurlow, who understood his 
own interest as well as any man, had some good 
reasons for suspecting that the King's recovery 
was an event that might be expected soon to 
take place. 

On the 16th of December, in the committee 
on the state of the nation, Mr. Pitt moved two 
declaratory resolutions, importing—] st, The inter- 
ruption of the royal authority; — 2nd, That it was 
the duty of the two Houses of Parliament to 
provide the means of supplying that defect. 
A most stormy debate ensued, after which the 
resolution was carried on a division by 268 
against 204 voices. This great point being 
gained, the ministers proceeded, without hesita- 
tion or delay, to carry their plans into execution, 
in which they were supported by the great majo- 
rity of the nation. 

On a dispassionate review of the events of this 



90 

remarkable period, it cannot but be acknow- 
ledged that the conduct of the Prince of Wales 
did great credit to his judgment and his princi- 
ples. On the adjournment of the two Houses for 
a fortnight after the King's illness was announced, 
a very judicious letter was addressed to the 
prince by Mr. Sheridan, which, with other very 
curious letters from Admiral Payne to Mr. 
Sheridan, are published by Mr. Moore in his 
life of the latter. We do not think it necessary to 
enter any farther into the merits of the question, 
or to detail the plan at length decided upon by 
the ministry, but must introduce the correspon- 
dence between Mr. Pitt and the Prince of Wales 
on the subject : — 

Letter from the Right Honorable William Pitt to 
the Prince of Wales, December 30. 

" Sib, 

"The proceedings in Parliament being now 
brought to a point which will render it necessary 
to propose to the House of Commons, the parti- 
cular measures to be taken for supplying the 
defect of the personal exercise of the royal autho- 



91 

rity, during the present interval, and your Royal 
Highness having some time since signified 
your pleasure, that any communication on this 
subject should be in writing, I take the liberty 
of respectfully intreating your Royal Highness's 
permission to submit to your consideration the 
outlines of the plan, which His Majesty's confi- 
dential servants humbly conceive (according to 
the best judgment which they are able to form) 
to be proper to be proposed in the present cir- 
cumstances. 

It is their humble opinion, that your Royal 
Highness should be empowered to exercise the 
royal authority, in the name and on the behalf of 
His Majesty, during His Majesty's illness, and to 
do all acts which might legally be done by His 
Majesty ; with provisions, nevertheless, that the 
care of His Majesty's royal person, and the 
management of His Majesty's household, and the 
direction and appointment of the officers and 
servants therein, should be in the Queen, under 
such regulations as may be thought necessary. — 
That the power to be exercised by your Royal 
Highness should not extend to the granting the 



92 

real or personal property of the King, (except as 
far as relates to the renewal of leases,) to the 
granting any office in reversion, or to the granting, 
for any other term than during His Majesty's 
pleasure, any pension, or any office whatever, 
except such as must by law be granted for life, 
or during good behaviour; nor to the granting 
any rank or dignity of the peerage of this realm to 
any person except His Majesty's issue, who shall 
have attained the age of twenty-one years. 

"These are the chief points which have occur- 
red to His Majesty's servants. I beg leave to add, 
that their ideas are formed on the supposition that 
His Majesty's illness is only temporary, and may 
be of no long duration. It may be difficult to fix 
beforehand, the precise period for which these 
provisions ought to last; but if unfortunately 
His Majesty's recovery should be protracted to a 
more distant period than there is reason at pre- 
sent to imagine, it will be open hereafter to the 
wisdom of Parliament, to reconsider these pro- 
visions, whenever the circumstances appear to 
call for it. 

" If your Royal Highness should be pleased to 



93 

require any farther explanation on the subject, 
and should condescend to signify your orders, 
that I should have the honor of attending your 
Royal Highness for that purpose, or to intimate 
any other mode in which your Royal Highness 
may wish to receive such explanation, I shall 
respectfully wait your Royal Highness's com- 
mands. 

" I have the honor to be, with the utmost 
deference and submission, 

K Sir, 
" Your Royal Highness's 
" Most dutiful and devoted servant, 

"W. Pitt. 

" Downing -street, Tuesday Night, 
" December 30, 1788." 



Answer to the foregoing Letter, delivered by His 
Royal Highness to the Lord Chancellor, 
January ], 1789. 

4 'The Prince of Wales learns from Mr. Pitt's 
letter, that the proceedings in Parliament are 
now in a train which enables Mr. Pitt, according 



94 

to the intimation in his former letter, to commu- 
nicate to the prince the outlines of the plan which 
His Majesty's confidential servants conceive to 
be proper to be proposed in the present cir- 
cumstances. 

11 Concerning the steps already taken by Mr. 
Pitt, the prince is silent. Nothing done by the 
two Houses of Parliament can be a proper sub- 
ject of his animadversion ; but when, previously 
to any discussion in Parliament, the outlines of a 
scheme of government are sent for his considera- 
tion, in which it is proposed that he shall be per- 
sonally and principally concerned, and by which 
the royal authority and the public welfare may 
be deeply affected, the prince would be unjusti- 
fiable, were he to withhold an explicit declaration 
of his sentiments. His silence might be con- 
strued into a previous approbation of a plan, the 
accomplishment of which every motive of duty to 
his father and sovereign, as well as of regard for 
the public interest, obliges him to consider as 
injurious to both. 

" In the state of deep distress, in which the 
prince and the whole royal family were involved, 



95 

by the heavy calamity which has fallen upon the 
King, and at a moment when government, de- 
prived of its chief energy and support, seemed 
peculiarly to need the cordial and united aid of 
all descriptions of good subjects, it was not 
expected by the prince, that a plan should be 
offered to his consideration, by which government 
was to be rendered difficult, if not impracticable, 
in the hands of any person intended to represent 
the King's authority, much less in the hands of 
his eldest son — the heir-apparent of his kingdoms, 
and the person most bound to the maintenance 
of His Majesty's just perogatives and authority,, 
as well as most interested in the happiness, the 
prosperity, and the glory of the people. 

" The prince forbears to remark on the several 
parts of the sketch of the plan laid before him ; 
he apprehends it must have been formed with 
sufficient deliberation to preclude the probability 
of any argument of his producing an alteration of 
sentiment in the projectors of it. But he trusts, 
with confidence, to the wisdom and justice of 
Parliament, when the whole of this subject, and 



96 

the circumstances connected with it, shall come 
under their deliberation. 

" He observes, therefore, only generally on the 
heads communicated by Mr. Pitt — and it is with 
deep regret the prince makes the observation — 
that he sees in the contents of that paper, a pro- 
ject for producing weakness, disorder, and inse- 
curity, in every branch of the administration of 
affairs — a project for dividing the royal family 
from each other; for separating the court from the 
state; and therefore, by disjoining government 
from its natural and accustomed support, a 
scheme for disconnecting the authority to com- 
mand service, from the power of animating it by 
reward; and for allotting to the prince all the 
invidious duties of government, without the means 
of softening them to the public, by any one act 
of grace, favor, or benignity. 

"The prince's feelings on contemplating this 
plan, are also rendered still more painful to him, 
by observing that it is not founded on any gene- 
ral principle, but is calculated to infuse jealousies 
and suspicions (wholly groundless, he trusts) in 



97 

that quarter, whose confidence it will ever be* 
the first pride of his life to merit and obtain. 

"With regard to the motive and object of the! 
limitations and restrictions proposed, the rirince 
can have but little to observe. No light or in- 
formation is offered him by His Majesty's minis- 
ters on these points. They have informed him 
what the powers are which they mean to refuse 
him, not why they are withheld. 

"The prince, however, holding, as he does, 
that it is an undoubted and fundamental principle 
of this constitution, that the powers and preroga- 
tives of the crown are vested there, as a trust for 
the benefit of the people; and that they are 
sacred only as thc^y are necessary to the preser- 
vation of that poise and balance of the constitu- 
tion, which experience has proved to be the true 
security of the liberty of the subject — must be 
allowed to observe, that the plea of public utility 
ought to be strong, manifest, and urgent, which 
calls for the extinction or suspension of any one 
of those essential rights in the supreme power, or 
its representative; or which can justify the prince 
in consenting, that in his person an experiment 

H 



98 

shall be made, to ascertain with how small a 
portion of the kingly power the executive govern- 
ment of this country may be carried on. 

" The prince has only to add, that if security 
for His Majesty's repossessing his rightful govern- 
ment, whenever it shall please Providence, in 
bounty to the country, to remove the calamity 
with which he is afflicted, be any part of the 
object of this plan, the prince has only to be 
convinced that any measure is necessary, or even 
conducive, to that end, to be the first to urge it 
as the preliminary and paramount consideration 
of any settlement in which he would consent 
to share. 

"If attention to what is presumed might be 
His Majesty's feelings and wishes on the happy 
day of his recovery, be the object, it is with the 
truest sincerity the prince expresses his firm 
conviction, that no event would be more re- 
pugnant to the feelings of his royal father, than 
the knowledge, that the government of his son 
and representative had exhibited the sovereign 
power of the realm in a state of degradation, of 
curtailed authority, and diminished energy — 



99 

a state, hurtful in practice to the prosperity and 
good government of his people, and injurious in 
its precedent to the security of the monarch, and 
the rights of his family. 

" Upon that part of the plan which regards the 
Kings real and personal property, the prince 
feels himself compelled to remark, that it was 
not necessary for Mr. Pitt, nor proper, to suggest 
to the prince, the restraint he proposes against 
the prince's granting away the King's real and 
personal property. The prince does not con- 
ceive, that, during the King's life, he is, by law, 
entitled to make any such grant; and he is sure, 
that he has never shewn the smallest inclination 
to possess any such power. But it remains with 
Mr. Pitt to consider the eventual interests of the 
royal family, and to provide a proper and natural 
security against the mismanagement of them by 
others. 

" The prince has discharged an indispensable 
duty, in thus giving his free opinion on the plan 
submitted to his consideration. 

" His conviction of the evils which may arise to 
the King's interests, to the peace and happiness 

h2 



100 

of the royal family, and to the safety and welfare 
of the nation, from the government of the country 
remaining longer in its present maimed and debi- 
litated state, outweighs, in the prince's mind, 
every other consideration, and will determine 
him to undertake the painful trust imposed upon 
him, by the present melancholy necessity (which 
of all the King's subjects he deplores the most), 
in full confidence, that the affection and loyalty 
to the King, the experienced attachment to the 
House of Brunswick, and the generosity which 
has always distinguished this nation, will carry 
him through the many difficulties, inseparable 
from this most critical situation, with comfort to 
himself, with honor to the King, and with advan- 
tage to the public. 

(Signed) 

" G. P. 
" Carlton House, 
*• January 2, 1789." 

A series of propositions, embodying this wild 
and dangerous project — the offspring of party 
interest and personal ambition, calculated only, 



101 

as was justly and forcibly remarked, to estab- 
lish a weak government and a strong opposi- 
tion — were brought into the House of Commons 
by Mr. Pitt on the 16th of January., 1789. Long 
and angry debates ensued, in which the plan of 
limitation was attacked in its principle and all 
its parts with the combined powers of argument 
and eloquence. Burke, Sheridan, Lord North, 
Fox, in vain exerted all their efforts against the 
propositions, which passed the Commons by a 
large majority. In the Lords, the contest was 
equally obstinate ; and on the 23rd of January, a 
protest was entered on the journals, signed by the 
Dukes of York and Cumberland, and fifty-five 
other peers, expressing their highest indignation 
at the restrictions thus arbitrarily imposed on 
the executive authority. A committee appointed 
by the two Houses then presented the resolutions 
in form to the prince, who, in rather indignant 
though guarded terms, declared his acceptance 
of them. The next day, January 31st, Lord 
Camden moved that the lord chancellor be 
directed, by authority of the two Houses of 
Parliament, to issue a commission in the name 



102 

of the sovereign, for opening the session — the 
commission to consist of the princes of the blood 
and all the great officers of state. This too 
passed both Houses, but not without some ani- 
madversion; and the princes of the blood expressly- 
refused to suffer their names to be inserted in 
this commission. The session was accordingly 
opened in form, by the lords commissioners, on 
the 3rd of February. The bill founded on the 
propositions passed the House of Commons on 
the 12th of February, and in the succeeding 
week, after much fruitless opposition, had ad- 
vanced to the stage of commitment, when, happily 
for the nation, the further progress of these 
extraordinary measures was arrested by official 
information from the lord chancellor, that the 
King's physicians had declared His Majesty to 
be in a state of convalescence. All further pro- 
ceedings on the bill were suspended, and no par- 
liamentary business was transacted for nearly 
three weeks. On the 10th of March, it was 
announced that His Majesty, being perfectly 
recovered from his indisposition, had ordered a 
commission to be issued for holding the Parlia- 



103 

merit in the usual manner. The news of the 
King's recovery diffused the most general and 
heart-felt satisfaction. A national thanksgiving 
was appointed, and the King himself went in 
solemn procession to St. Paul's on the 23rd of 
April, to offer up his grateful devotions on this 
event, which was celebrated throughout the 
kingdom by splendid illuminations, and every 
demonstration of the real and enthusiastic joy that 
was felt by the immense majority of the nation at 
the happy recovery of their beloved sovereign. 

It is remarkable that the Irish Parliament 
proceeded on this occasion in a manner totally 
different from the English. As soon as the in- 
capacity of the sovereign was ascertained, Mr. 
Conolly moved, on the 11th of February, 1789, 
"That an address be presented to the Prince of 
Wales, requesting him immediately to take upon 
himself the government of the kingdom, as regent 
during the King's incapacity;" which, after a long 
and violent debate, was carried against the opinion 
of the government members, without a division ; 
and on the 16th a similar address was voted in 
the House of Lords, by a majority of nineteen. 



1()4 

A protest signed by seventeen lords was en- 
tered. The lord-lieutenant, the Marquis of 
Buckingham, refusing to transmit this address 
to England, the two Houses appointed com- 
missioners to go and present the address in 
person to his Royal Highness. They arrived in 
London on the 25th of February, and the day 
following presented their address to the prince at 
Carlton House. His answer sufficiently shews 
how different the feelings with which he received 
this address were from those that suggested the 
terms in which he had signified his acceptance 
of the resolutions of the English Parliament. As 
the King was declared to be in a state of con-* 
valescence, the prince deferred his final answer 
for a few days. He gave it on the 12th of March, 
and on both occasions expressed in the warmest 
terms his sense of their loyalty and affection. 

It was probably a most happy circumstance 
for both kingdoms, that the King's recovery put 
an end to the alarrns that many persons were 
disposed \o feel. The prudence of the prince, 
in accepting the regency of England, under 
Jhe humiliating restrictions imposed on him by 



105 

Parliament, would indeed have prevented the 
worst consequences of his refusal; for in that 
case the government of England would probably 
have been given to the Queen, while the prince 
would have been Regent of Ireland, with all the 
usual powers of royalty. 

On the 10th of March, the lord chancellor 
made a speech to both Houses in His Majesty's 
name, expressing His Majesty's warmest ac- 
knowledgments for the additional proofs they 
had given of attachment to his person, and their 
zealous concern for the honor and interest of his 
crown, and the security and good government of 
his dominions. His Majesty soon took occasion 
to shew how acceptable the late conduct of the 
ministers had been, by dismissing those persons 
holding posts under government, who had con- 
curred with the opposition; among them were 
the Duke of Queensbury, the Marquis of Lothian, 
Lord Carteret, and Lord Malmesbury. 

In the foregoing outline of the proceedings of 
this momentous period, it has been chiefly 
intended to place in a just light the conduct of 
the Prince of Wales personally, without discuss- 



106 

ing the motives or the conduct of the persons by 
whom he was surrounded or advised. Certain it 
is, that the party sank still lower in public esti- 
mation than they had stood before, and that the 
seeds were now sown of the misunderstandings 
and enmities which soon after broke out among 
themselves. 

It was greatly to be regretted that the King's 
displeasure extended also to the Prince of Wales 
and the Duke of York, for their conduct on this 
occasion. The first direct intimation that the 
prince received of His Majesty's displeasure, was 
through a letter from the King to the Duke of 
Clarence, as is expressly stated in a letter from 
the prince to his father, written after the visit of 
the sovereign to Weymouth, to which place he 
went with the Queen and princesses in the autumn 
of this year. In this letter his Royal Highness 
announces his intention of submitting to his father 
a statement which he had prepared of his conduct 
and motives on the occasion in question. This 
letter, written, as it seems, by Sheridan, has been 
published for the first time, from a rough copy 
found among his papers, by Mr. Moore, who adds 



107 

that he has also seen a copy of the statement 
announced by the prince, and that it filled, with 
an appendix, 100 folio pages. He adds, that it 
was supposed to have been drawn up by Lord 
Minto. The prince, in his letter to the King, also 
laments "aless gracious disposition in the Queen 
towards his brothers and himself, than they were 
accustomed to experience." It should seem that 
His Majesty had not personally testified his dis- 
pleasure to his sons; for if he had, the prince 
would certainly not have delayed justifying him- 
self, till he saw the King's letter to the Duke of 
Clarence. Perhaps some officious meddlers had 
in the interim misrepresented to His Majesty 
the conduct of the Prince during his lamented 
illness. 

It might have been mentioned before, that on 
the 6th of January, a check for £1000 was sent 
to the Chamberlain of the City of London, 
enclosed in the following letter from the Prince 
of Wales's treasurer: — 

" Sir, 

" His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, 
apprehending that the poor of the city of London 



108 

might sustain some hardship and inconvenience, 
in this inclement season, from the delay of the 
King's annual bounty, arising from the present 
unfortunate state of His Majesty's health, has 
commanded me to pay £1000 into the Chamber 
of London, to be applied to the relief of the poor, 
in the same manner that His Majesty's bounty 
has usually been* 

" I have the honor to be, &c. 

" Henry Lyte." 

His Royal Highness also sent £200 to Edin- 
burgh, to be applied to the relief of the poor of 
that city. 

It was in the month of May, this year, that the 
celebrated duel took place between his Royal 
Highness the Duke of York and Colonel Lenox, 
nephew and heir to the Duke of Richmond, in 
which both parties appear to have conducted 
themselves with the strictest propriety, in con- 
formity to what the fashionable world calls the 
laws of honor; but it should seem that the 
Prince of Wales must have entertained some kind 



109 

of displeasure towards Colonel Lenox, which he 
manifested at the ball at St. James's on the King's 
birth-day, which was kept with extraordinary- 
splendor, though His Majesty himself was not pre- 
sent, not having recovered from the shock occa- 
sioned by the duel. When country dances com- 
menced, though it was the established etiquette 
that nobody should join in them who had not 
first danced a minuet, Colonel Lenox stood up, 
with Lady Catharine Barnard for his partner. 
The prince, who danced with the Princess Royal, 
did not observe the colonel, till he came down 
to his place in the dance ; on which he took his 
sister's hand, just as she was about to be turned 
by the colonel, and led her to the bottom of the 
dance. The Duke of York and the Princess 
Augusta, who came next, turned the colonel with- 
out hesitation. The Duke of Clarence, who came 
next with the Princess Elizabeth, followed the 
example of the Prince of Wales. Still, however, 
the dance proceeded; but when the colonel and 
his partner had danced down to the prince, his 
Royal Highness led his sister to the seat next the 
Queen, who observing to him that he seemed 



110 

tired, he said he was indeed tired of dancing in 
such company. Her Majesty, therefore, proposed 
to break up the ball, to which the prince assented, 
saying he never would countenance insults offered 
to his family. The Queen and princesses accord- 
ingly withdrew, which put an end to the ball. 
The prince afterwards explained to Lady Barnard 
the circumstances which had obliged him, to his 
great regret, to act in a manner that could not but 
have been very unpleasant and embarrassing to 
her ladyship. 

Though His Majesty was so far happily 
recovered, as to enable him to resume the reins 
of government, and to pursue his usual mode of 
life, it was thought advisable that he should try 
the effects of sea air and bathing to strengthen his 
constitution, after so severe a trial as it had sus- 
tained. With this view Weymouth was selected, 
where their Majesties would have the advantage 
of finding every suitable accommodation in the 
lodge belonging to the Duke of Gloucester, 
where they arrived on the 30th of June, having 
left London on the 27th. They left Weymouth 
on the 4th of August, on a tour through part of 



Ill 

the West of England, and returned on the 28th. 
The letter from the Prince of Wales to His 
Majesty, which is mentioned above, seems to 
have been written during the interval that their 
Majesties were absent from Weymouth. 

While the King and Queen, with the princesses, 
were visiting the West of England, the Prince of 
Wales and his brother, the Duke of York, made a 
tour to Yorkshire. It was at the time of the 
races ; and their Royal Highnesses arrived on the 
ground on the 28th of August. The next day the 
Prince of Wales was waited upon by the corpo- 
ration, who went in procession in their robes 
from the Guildhall to the Deanery, and presented 
the following address, with the freedom of the 
city in an elegant gold box : — 

''May it please your Royal Highness, the 
Lord Mayor and Corporation of the City of York, 
animated with the most lively gratitude for the 
high honor conferred on this ancient city by your 
presence, beg leave to approach your royal person 
with the utmost respect, and most cordial affec- 
tion. This honor, Sir, is greatly increased by 
your Royal Highness being the only heir-appa- 



112 

rent to the imperial crown of this realm, whom 
they have ever had the felicity personally to 
address. 

" They cannot resist the present favorable 
opportunity of expressing their just admiration of, 
and unfeigned acknowledgments for, the wisdom 
and moderation which so eminently distinguished 
the affectionate princely conduct of your Royal 
Highness in the most awful and trying situation, 
when all men looked up to your Royal Highness 
for protection, with the fullest assurance of 
receiving it ; and blessed as this kingdom hath 
been by Divine Providence, in the happy reco- 
very of our most gracious sovereign, (for whom 
they entertain the warmest sentiments of duty 
and loyalty,) it is their fervent prayer, that when 
it shall please the Almighty to call His Majesty 
to a heavenly throne, your Royal Highness 
may succeed him in the hearts and affections 
of a free, brave, and loyal people, and long live 
to reign over them with the happiness and glory 
of a patriot King. 

"Your Royal Highness is respectfully intreated 
to permit your royal name to be enrolled amongst 



113 

the freemen of this ancient city, and to accept 
the freedom thereof, which is thus humbly offered 
to your Royal Highness's gracious reception." 
To this address the prince replied, 
" My Lord Mayor and Gentlemen, I thank 
you for your loyal and affectionate address, and 
for the satisfaction which you express at my visit 
to the city of York. 

*' It gives me very sincere pleasure that my 
conduct has been properly understood by you, 
and that my opinions as to the powers necessary 
to have been trusted to me for the general wel- 
fare, have not been mistaken by the respectable 
citizens of York for an extravagant lust of power, 
or an unbecoming haste to assume the seat, which 
to be called to as late as possible, is the constant 
and warmest wish of my heart. Impelled with 
these sentiments, I must, above all others, re- 
joice in that happy event which is the subject of 
your joyful congratulations, and which touches 
my feelings not more as an affectionate son, than 
as the person the most interested in every thing 
which concerns the prosperity and happiness of 
the realm. I with pleasure accept the freedom 



114 

of this ancient city, and your offer of enrolling my 
name amongst its citizens." 

Amongst the persons who attended the prince 
were the Dukes of Bedford and Queensbury, 
Earls Fitzwilliam, Carlisle and Derby, Lords 
Rawdon, Clermont, Fielding, and Downe. 

Many thought, however, that it would have 
been wiser in the corporation to have avoided 
political retrospection altogether, and thereby 
have saved the prince the pain of vindicating his 
conduct, and that of his party. 

On the 2nd of September, Earl Fitzwilliam 
gave a magnificent fete at Went worth House, 
Nothing could be more superb and sumptuous 
than the whole of the arrangements. It was in 
the true style of English hospitality. His gates, 
on being honored with the presence of the Prince 
of Wales, were thrown open to the loyalty of the 
surrounding country; and not fewer than forty 
thousand persons were entertained in the park. 
The scale of the feast may be imagined from the 
fact, that in the course of the day fifty -five hogs- 
heads of ale were drunk. The diversions, con- 
sisting of all the rural sports in that part of the 



115 

kingdom, lasted the whole day ; and the prince, 
with the nobility, participated in the merriment. 
The company in the house were about two 
hundred, and comprehended all the beauty and 
fashion of the neighbourhood, without distinction 
of party. The dinner was in the highest style of 
luxury, and the fete concluded with a ball. 

In coming to town from Wentworth House, 
the prince met with a serious accident. About 
two miles on the other side of Newark, a cart, in 
crossing the road, struck the axle of the coach, 
and overturned it. It was on the verge of a slope, 
and the carriage fell a considerable way, turned 
over twice, and was shivered to pieces. There 
were in the coach with his Royal Highness, Lord 
Clermont, Colonel St. Leger, and Colonel Lake^ 
Two of the servants of the prince were on the 
box. The prince suffered only a slight contusion 
in the shoulder, and his wrist was sprained; His 
Royal Highness was undermost in the first fall, 
and by the next roll of the carriage was brought 
uppermost, when, with his usual activity and pre- 
sence of mind, he disengaged himself, and was the 
first to rescue his companions. Lord Clermont 

i2 



1J6 

was so much hurt as to be obliged to remain at 
Newark. The other gentlemen were fortunate 
enough to escape with little injury. The accident 
happened at ten at night, and the moon was up. 
The mischance was occasioned by the precipitancy 
of the postilions. The prince got into Colonel 
Lake's chaise, which was close behind, and pro- 
ceeded to Newark, where he slept, and went on 
next morning. 

As for a few years after the affair of the 
regency the prince did not take any prominent 
part in public affairs, this may be a good oppor- 
tunity to go back a little, to give some account 
of more private transactions. 

It was in the year 1782 that the prince first 
went to Brighton on a visit to his uncle, the 
Duke of Cumberland, who had for some time 
made this his occasional residence. The house 
occupied by the duke, was afterwards called 
Grove House. The arrival of the prince was 
hailed by the inhabitants with very great joy, for 
which they would have had still more reason, if 
they could have foreseen what would have been 
the result of this visit. The prince was so 



117 

charmed with the place, that he seems soon after 
to have resolved to have a residence built there 
for himself; and accordingly in 1784 was com- 
menced the building of the celebrated Marine 
Pavilion, the favorite summer residence of the 
prince both before and after his accession to the 
throne. The part towards the sea, which was 
first erected, is about two hundred feet in extent, 
to which in 1802 two wings were added. Though 
the exterior of this princely residence has been 
the subject of much severe criticism, the interior 
arrangements are in a style of magnificence suit- 
able to the high rank of the owner. The furni- 
ture and decorations, which are in the oriental, 
especially Chinese style, exceed in splendour 
every thing of the kind in Europe. Some incon- 
gruities have doubtless arisen from the whole of 
the edifice not having been planned at once ; con- 
tinual additions, alterations, and improvements 
having been made during a long series of years, 
partly as convenience or fancy suggested, and 
partly as opportunity offered of purchasing houses 
or land in the vicinity, to add to the royal domain. 
The stables belonging to this marine palace were 



118 

erected at an expense of £100,000, and are 
beyond comparison the most magnificent edifice 
of the kind in England. In this delightful abode 
the illustrious owner was used to entertain as his 
visitors a few favored individuals, who were 
honored with his personal friendship and regard. 

From the time that the Prince of Wales first 
selected Brighton for his residence, it rose 
rapidly in extent and population. In 1801, there 
Were 1282 houses, and 7400 inhabitants; in 1809, 
2000 houses, and above 12,000 settled inhabitants ; 
in 1829, 3947 houses, occupied by 4718 families, 
making an aggregate population of 35,000 settled 
inhabitants ; which is increased in the fine season 
by an addition of from 12,000 to 15,000 visitors, 
Brighton being one of the finest, and of course 
most fashionable watering-places in the kingdom. 
Latterly, His Majesty did not visit Brighton, in 
consequence, it is said, of having had reason to 
be offended with something in the conduct of the 
inhabitants towards him. 

Among the remarkable individuals who were 
honored with the prince's countenance, and were 
frequent visitors at Carlton House and the Marine 



119 

Pavilion, besides the many eminent public 
characters, there were others, whose political 
importance was inconsiderable, but whom other 
circumstances had drawn into the royal circle. 
A few notes of some of the persons of both these 
classes may find a place here. 

At the head of the Prince of Wales's political 
friends, at his entrance into public life, was Mr. 
Fox — a man equally calculated to delight in pri- 
vate, and to command in public life. Between 
this illustrious statesman and the prince there 
had been an early intimacy, followed by a sincere 
attachment, which continued on the part of the 
prince, without any abatement, till the death of 
Mr. Fox. That great man, then in the prime of 
life, was looked up to not only by his own coun- 
trymen, but by all Europe, as the man above all 
others qualified to be at the head of the govern- 
ment. But his bold, independent spirit, the firm- 
ness with which he resisted the encroachments of 
the government, and his sincere and unalterable 
attachment to the privileges of the people, were 
insurmountable obstacles to favor at court. In 



120 

his parliamentary conduct, there was nothing to 
disqualify him for occupying a high place in the 
confidence of the heir-apparent, or to justify the 
obloquy which was cast on the prince for his 
attachment. But the enemies of both found in 
the private character of Mr. Fox matter for bitter 
invective, and canvassed the amusements and the 
follies of his lighter hours with an inveteracy of 
malice, which they never would have bestowed 
on his private vices, had they not been abashed 
by his public virtues, and awed by his talents. 
He entered, it is true, but too largely into the 
follies and extravagances of the age; he was 
undeniably guilty of many of the frivolities and 
indiscretions to which young men of fashion and 
fortune are subject; and, like other men in simi- 
lar circumstances, he frequently experienced 
great vicissitudes of fortune; but his soul was 
incapable of any thing mean, dishonorable, base, 
cruel, or treacherous ; and with his splendid, we 
may say unrivalled, talents, there was such mild- 
ness in his nature, such simplicity in his man- 
ners, such a tenderness of heart, which made 



121 

him a partaker in human sufferings of every 
description, that the words of Terence, 

" Homo sum ; nil humanum a me alienum puto," 

are, when applied to him, not a hackneyed quo- 
tation, but a just picture of his character and 
temper of mind. 

The person who at this period was supposed to 
hold the second place in the friendship of the 
prince, was Mr. Edmund Burke. Brought into 
public notice by the patronage of the Marquis of 
Rockingham, and attached to the whig party 
both by sentiment and gratitude, the splendor of 
his eloquence, and his various literary attain- 
ments, had raised him to a high rank both in the 
political and the learned world. Edmund Burke 
was on many accounts one of the most remark- 
able men of his time. Born with a vast and com- 
prehensive genius, which he cultivated with the 
most assiduous care, he rose to eminence by his 
own talents ; and the patronage conferred on him 
was as honorable to his patron, as his own abili- 
ties were to himself. Considering him as a public 



122 

man, and as one of the most distinguished leaders 
of the House of Commons, it may be affirmed of 
him, without fear of contradiction, that the uni- 
versality of his knowledge and erudition, the 
power of his imagination, the rapidity of his elo- 
quence, the perfection of his language, and the 
various objects to which those endowments were 
applied, all conspired to make him one of the 
most conspicuous characters of his time. 

The next great character whom the Prince of 
Wales honored with his particular confidence, 
and who, by the unanimous voice of his fellow- 
countrymen, was ranked nearly on a level with 
Fox and Burke, was Sheridan. Confessedly the 
first dramatic writer of his age, he was qualified 
by his talents no less to shine in the senate-house, 
than to delight in the closet or on the stage. 
That eminent writer, Dr. Parr, in sketching the 
character of Sheridan, says, "The golden tide 
of eloquence which Burke pours forth, the urba- 
nity, the easy and unstudied elegance of North, 
the subtilty, the vigour, the variety of Fox — all 
these are conspicuously united in Sheridai^-' 

The late Marquis of Hastings was certainly the 



123 

steadiest of His Majesty's friends; but he was an 
improvident man, and therefore ill calculated to 
be the adviser of the prince. He was continually 
in debt, and taking up money upon post-obits, and 
other securities, at enormous rates. His servants, 
of whom he kept a large number, lived riotously, 
and drank the dearest wines at their master's 
expense. He also had a number of pensioners, 
most of whom were blood-suckers. One of these 
was Felix McCarthy, an Irish adventurer, who 
once absented himself longer than usual from 
St. James's-place, on which his lordship sent to 
know what was the reason: Felix returned an 
old pair of shoes, worn out at toe and heel, 
asking "whether those were fit for him to enter 
his lordship's house in ?" It is no wonder that 
the prince and the marquis should have been 
constantly embarrassed. 

Among the early associates of the prince was 
George Hanger, afterwards Lord Coleraine— a 
man of the most eccentric character, not destitute 
of talent, but of dissipated habits, and fond of low 
company. In his latter years, he resided in a 
small cottage in or near the Hampstead-road; 



124 

but though he ordinarily spent his evenings at an 
ale-house, he was not an unfrequent visitor at the 
palace. 

A short time before the regency, the prince 
laughingly said, "George, in all the years we 
have been acquainted, you never asked me to 
dine with you: Now, I should like to do so for 
once." " Sir," said George, "if you will dine as 
I do, no person will be more welcome: only fix 
your time, that I may be prepared." The prince 
mentioned his day, and was punctual. There 
was little sign of cookery ; but at last the cloth 
was laid by the female servant, and a baked 
shoulder of mutton, with potatoes, constituted 
the whole meal; to which was added simple 
porter; but whether any wine followed, the 
writer, who heard the story from Hanger him- 
self, cannot now recollect. 

The colonel succeeded to the title of Coleraine 
in 1814, on the death of his brother: but a greater 
affront could not be offered him, than to address 
him in word or writing as "My Lord." He 
always wore a silk handkerchief round his neck, 
and a short club-stick under his arm. He died 



125 

in 1817, at the age of seventy-three, having been 
for some years discarded from the prince's 
parties, on account of his low propensities. He 
was at one time a sort of purveyor for the royal 
pleasure ; but though he had all the vice and good- 
humour of FalstafF, he had not the wit of fat 
Jack. Yet, compared with others, his old patron 
might say, "We could have better spared a 
better man." 

Another eccentric visitor at Carlton House was 
Beau Brummell— so called because he set the 
fashion. Brummell was a fellow of consummate 
effrontery, and took great liberties with the 
prince, who bore his impudence with good- 
humour, till one day, when there was a party at 
table, Brummell, being at the bottom, called out, 
" Wales, pull the bell." The prince did as he 
was bid; and when the servant entered, he said, 
"Mr. Brummell's carriage." Poor Brummell 
never came again. 

Another of the convivial companions of the 
prince, was Henry Bate Dudley, commonly called 
"the Fighting Parson." His name was origi- 
nally Bate, to which in 1784 he added that of 



126 

Dudley. He succeeded his father in the rectory 
of North Farmbridge, in Essex, but never 
resided there ; living constantly in London, where 
he wrote for the stage, and conducted the 
Morning Post. In 1780, he established the 
Morning Herald, which became the Gazette of 
Fashion. Bishop Lowth having called upon him 
to reside, or discharge clerical duty near London, 
he, to avoid the former, took the curacy of 
Hendon. Here he used to attend on Sundays, 
with his friend Parsons, the comedian; and 
between the morning and afternoon service, play 
at cribbage in the vestry ! 

When the Duke of Bedford became Lord- 
Lieutenant of Ireland, he gave Dudley the chan- 
cellorship of the Cathedral of Ferns, and other 
preferments. In 1816, he obtained a prebend of 
Ely. The prince regent made him a baronet in 
1812. But when, in 1807, application was made 
to Lord Grenville to promote him to the epis- 
copate, his lordship referred the applicant to the 
words of St. Paul — "A bishop must be no 
striker. " 

The prince, soon after the establishment took 



127 

place at Brighton, received into his service Louis 
WeJtjie, a German. He was originally a ginger- 
bread baker, and sold cakes about the streets; 
and the prince being pleased with his manner and 
cakes, gave him a situation in his household. 
Here he rose to be chief cook and purveyor, both 
at Carlton House and the Pavilion. His pride 
kept even pace with his good fortune ; and he 
even took occasionally great liberties with his 
royal master. Weltjie at last, however, lost his 
place and the prince's favor by his folly. 

He had an only daughter, of whom he was fond 
till she offended him by marrying her father's 
assistant cook. Weltjie was so exasperated at 
this degradation, that he had the assurance to 
complain to his Royal Highness, representing the 
ingratitude of the young man in strong terms, 
and stating the disgrace brought upon his family 
by this match. He concluded by soliciting the 
immediate dismissal of the offender. The good- 
natured prince only smiled, and told Weltjie to 
live amicably with the young couple. This 
Weltjie could not endure, but kept on remon- 
strating till, his Royal Highness's patience being 



128 

tired out, he dismissed the cook from his pre- 
sence, and shortly after from his service, giving 
the place to Weltjie's son-in-law, 

Weltjie, however, had realized a handsome 
fortune, and built several houses at Brighton. He 
also kept a subscription house in St. James's- 
street many years, the history of which would 
be curious. He died suddenly in 1800. 

In 1787, Lord George Gordon, so fatally cele- 
brated for his fanatic zeal against the Catholics, 
which caused the riots in 1780, took fresh alarm 
at the reported marriage of the Prince of Wales to 
a Catholic lady. Being at this time under prose- 
cution for a libel on the Queen of France, he spoke 
on his trial with great freedom of the connection. 
Being asked what particular reason he had to desire 
the benefit of Mrs. Fitzherbert's testimony, he 
replied that he had had a conversation with her 
at Paris, relative to some intrigue of the French 
and British courts, which he wished that lady to 
substantiate. Before his trial he called at Mrs. 
Fitzherbert's house to serve a subpoena on her, 
but was turned out of doors by her servants. 
On this occasion his lordship wrote the following 



129 

letter to Mr. Pitt, which was delivered to him on 
his way to the House :— 

" Sir, 

"Mr. Walter Smythe, brother to Mrs. 
Fitzherbert, came to my house in Welbeck- street 
this morning, accompanied by Mr. Acton, and 
Mr. Smythe said he had brought Mr. Acton to be 
present whilst he informed me, that he would 
call me to an account if I went to Mrs. Fitz- 
herbert's again, or wrote to her, or to him, or took 
liberties with their names in public, as Mrs. 
Fitzherbert was very much alarmed when my 
name was mentioned. I answered, that I looked 
upon this as a threatening visit; but that I must 
yet apply to Mrs. Fitzherbert, himself, or Sir 
Carnaby Haggerstone as often as I found occasion, 
till a written answer was sent me concerning the 
proper title of their sister, just as if he had not 
called upon me. Some other conversation passed 
respecting the marriage; but this was the sub- 
stance and result of the whole. I think it my 
duty to inform you, as prime minister, of this 
circumstance, that you may be apprised of, and 



130 

communicate to the House of Commons, the over- 
bearing disposition of the Papists. 
" I have the honor to be, 
" Sir, 
" Your most obedient and humble servant, 

" G. Gordon. 
" 4 o'clock, Friday, May 4." 

At the latter end of May this same year, the 
prince was attacked with a very serious illness, 
in consequence of having drunk some cooling 
liquor while heated with dancing. He was in 
perfect health on the course at Guildford, dined 
in town, and went to the Duchess of Gordon s 
assembly, whence he sent word that he should 
be at Lady Gideon's to supper. He accordingly 
went to Lady Gideon's, but on entering the house 
found himself so suddenly attacked that he was 
unable to go up stairs, and returned to Carlton 
House in a sedan chair. His Royal Highness was 
confined to the house for about a fortnight. 

The prince's fondness for horse-racing, and his 
encouragement of pugilistic sports, having been 
before alluded to, it may not be improper to give 



131 

a few particulars on this subject. With respect 
to boxing, so much has been said and written 
both in favor and condemnation of the practice, 
that it seems wholly unnecessary, and would in 
truth be irrelevant, to enter into any discussion in 
this place. If, while it may be allowed on the 
one hand, that the English practice of deciding a 
dispute on the spot by a boxing match, is pre- 
ferable to the stiletto of the Italians, the knives 
of the Dutch, or the savage practice of gouging 
of the Americans ; it is with some shew of reason 
asserted on the other hand, that prize-fighting is a 
disgraceful and barbarous custom. Still the prince 
should not be too severely condemned, if, in com- 
mon with many others of the highest rank, he did 
not see it in the same light ; especially when it 
can be recorded to his honor, that a prize-fight 
having taken place at Brighton on the 6th of 
August, 1788, in which one of the combatants 
was killed on the spot, after a most dreadful 
conflict, his Royal Highness declared that he 
would have some settlement made on the nearest 
relation of the deceased, and that on account of 
the dreadful example, which he had then wit- 
is^ 



132 

nessed, he would never either see or patronize 
another stage-fight. 

Among the other sports to which the English 
nation are more peculiarly attached, and what 
may in some degree be regarded as a national 
sport, is the amusement of horse-racing. It has 
received the countenance of some of our sove- 
reigns, particularly of Charles II.; and various 
Acts of Parliament have been passed for its encou- 
ragement, under the idea that it was favorable to 
the improvement of the breed of horses. At the 
time when the Prince of Wales became a sports- 
man, the practice of keeping race-horses was 
greatly encouraged by some of the highest cha- 
racters in the nation. Mr. Fox and the late 
Duke of Bedford were then leading men of the 
turf, and many other noblemen and gentlemen of 
the first distinction and respectability afforded it 
their sanction. 

The Prince of Wales, soon after attaining his 
majority, turned his attention to the collection of 
a stud of running horses ; and as he pursued his 
object with ardour, he soon found himself master 
of a stud, not inferior to any in the kingdom. His 



133 

horses were seen at all the celebrated race- 
courses; and he himself often condescended to 
honor Newmarket and other places of sporting 
resort with his presence. 

What were the sums the prince expended on 
his racing establishment, or in bona-fide matches, 
it is impossible to form any estimate. With 
respect to the sums lost in betting, the probabi- 
lity is, that, like most other gentlemen of the turf, 
the prince experienced his share of the vicissi- 
tudes of fortune, and sometimes was a consider- 
able gainer, and at others a considerable loser. 
General report, however, made him a very great 
loser ; but there was probably in this case, as well 
as in many others, a large share of exaggeration. 

Could any certain provision be made, which 
would effectually secure the sport of horse- 
racing from the suspicion of foul play, of which 
the amateurs so frequently accuse each other, 
there could scarcely be a more delightful amuse- 
ment ; but it unfortunately happens, that there is 
no sport whatever, which is liable to so great a 
variety of unfair practices, as that of horse-racing. 
Few characters of eminence have distinguished 



134 

themselves on the turf, who have not been sus- 
pected, at one time or other, of these unjustifiable 
artifices ; and hence the graver part of the world 
have been disposed to regard these sporting 
meetings with strong marks of disapprobation. 
They have divided the patrons of the turf into 
only two descriptions of men, fools who have 
money to lose, and knaves who devise plans to 
rob them of it. It must nevertheless be confessed 
that the lovers of the turf themselves have given 
some countenance to these suspicions. Where 
large sums of money are at stake, it is no wonder 
that suspicion should succeed disappointment in 
the breasts of the losers. But the bad cha- 
racter that has attached to these sports is not 
so much to be imputed to the real nobility and 
gentry who patronize them, as to a lower class 
of persons, who, without any property of their 
own, and without respectability in the affairs of 
ordinary life, study horse-racing as a profession, 
in which their sole object is gain, without any 
scruple as to the means of attaining it. 

It cannot therefore excite surprise, if the noble 
and the great, who condescend to associate with 



135 

the worthless and the mean, should they escape 
the contamination of such intercourse, often incur 
suspicions injurious to their honor, and mortifying 
to their pride. As a remedy for these disadvan- 
tages, the gentlemen of the turf resolved to insti- 
tute a court of their own, to decide on disputes 
that might arise among them. This tribunal, 
which has become celebrated by the name of the 
Jockey Club, was to decide without appeal all 
such affairs as were in its cognizance. The 
deference which the sporting world has generally 
paid to the decisions of this body, may be ascribed 
in a great measure to the judicious regulation, 
by which, when any question is referred to it, 
those members who have any interest in the 
matter are excluded from the deliberation, and 
the decision is left to such as are free from all 
engagements connected with it. 

In the autumn of the year 1791, an extraordi- 
nary sensation was excited by a decision of this 
court, in which the Prince of Wales was con- 
cerned, and which proved so offensive to him that 
he resolved to retire from the turf. On the 20th 
of October, the prince's horse, Escape, reckoned 



136 

the best horse on the turf, was beaten at 
Newmarket by two horses of very inferior repu- 
tation. The odds, which were before very high 
in favor of Escape, now changed, and large- bets 
were laid that he would lose the match he had to 
run the next day; but to the great disappoint- 
ment of those who had betted against him, he won 
the second race. In consequence of these cir- 
cumstances, the prince's jockey, Samuel Chifney, 
who rode Escape on the two days, was suspected 
of false play, and the affair was laid before the 
Jockey Club. The result was unfavorable to 
Chifney; and Sir Charles Bunbury informed the 
prince, that, if he suffered Chifney to ride his 
horses, no gentleman would start against him. 
The prince replied, that if Sir Charles or any 
other person could make it appear that Chifney 
had acted improperly, he would never speak to 
him again; but that otherwise he would not 
sacrifice him to any person. Chifney, ten or 
twelve years after this affair, and shortly before 
his death, published a curious pamphlet on the 
subject. Reviewing the matter at this distance 
of time, it seems that there was but little ground 



137 

for the suspicion that Chifney had used foul play. 
The prince insisted that the Jockey Club should 
examine him in the strictest manner, and directed 
him to make affidavits, which he expressed his 
perfect readiness to do, with respect to the trans- 
actions of the two days. From these, it appeared 
he had no bets at all depending on the first day's 
race, and only twenty guineas on the second. 
As for the prince himself, he had no bets the first, 
and only four hundred guineas the second ; and 
it would be quite monstrous to suppose, that he 
could be guilty of conspiring with his servant, in 
order to gain so paltry an advantage. The pro- 
bability is, that some persons wished to get the 
prince away, on account of the excellence of his 
horses ; and it was reported that Mr. Vernon had 
said, that " the prince having the best horses and 
the best jockies, it was better he should be off 
the turf." That the prince chose to retire from 
Newmarket rather than submit to the injurious 
requisition of dismissing his servant, without 
sufficient proof of his having deserved such a 
punishment, was more worthy of praise than 
censure. He thought that Chifney had been ill 



138 

used, and allowed him an annuity of two hundred 
guineas. Chifney relates in his pamphlet, that 
in 1802, at the time of the Brighton and Lewes 
races, as the prince was walking on the Steyne 
with a gentleman, he approached, and told his 
Royal Highness that they cried out very much for 
him at Newmarket; to which the prince replied, 
"Sam Chifney, there has never been a proper 
apology made; they used me and you very ill; 
they are bad people. I'll not set foot on the 
ground more." 

Thus terminated the prince's connection with 
Newmarket. 

In October, 1789, the Duke of Orleans arrived 
on another visit to England, a house having been 
previously taken for him, where he was imme- 
diately visited by the Prince of Wales, and several 
noblemen of the first rank. The duke had in the 
preceding week addressed a letter to the National 
Assembly, requesting a passport to leave the 
kingdom, and stating that he was commissioned 
by His Majesty to transact important business in 
England. The letter enclosed a certificate from 
the Count de Montmorrin, minister for foreign 



139 

affairs, that such a commission was actually pre- 
paring for the duke in his office. The passport 
was granted, though some surprise was expressed 
at the application. 

The duke left Paris the same day for Boulogne ; 
but just as he was going to embark, he was 
recognised by a number of fish-women, who 
would not suffer him to go on board the vessel, 
but obliged him to return to his hotel, where they 
placed a guard of the town militia over him, with 
orders to keep him in close custody till the 
return of a deputation which they sent to Paris, 
to inform the National Assembly of this event. 
The duke was relieved from his confinement on 
the return of the express from Paris. The 
magistrates of Boulogne apologised for the intem- 
perance of the mob ; they themselves having been 
perfectly satisfied with the passport that he had 
shewn. Previously to the duke's departure from 
Paris, he presented the National Assembly with 
two millions and a half of livres, supposed to be 
a fourth part of his annual revenue, for which he 
was publicly thanked by M. Necker in the name 



140 

of the King, and by the president of the National 
Assembly. 

In November, this year, a Dr. Withers was 
sentenced to pay a fine of £50, and to a year's 
imprisonment in Newgate, and to give security 
for his good behaviour for five years, himself in 
£500, and two sureties in £100 each, for a libel 
on Mrs. Fitzherbert. The defence made by the 
doctor, who acknowledged the pamphlet, was 
that he did not know that truth was a libel. 
A printer, for a libel on the Duke of York, was 
sentenced by the court of King's Bench to a fine 
of £50, a year's imprisonment in Newgate, to 
stand in the pillory for an hour, and to give secu- 
rity for his good behaviour for seven years. 

On the 2nd of January, 1790, the Prince of 
Wales visited that unhappy spendthrift, Lord 
Barrymore, at Wargrave. His Royal Highness 
staid three days there, and was entertained with 
plays and a masked ball. One of the coachmen, 
however, was killed by driving against a post, 
and pitching upon his head. Private theatricals 
were then quite the rage ; and many of the nobi- 



141 

lity and gentry took the lead in this species of 
amusement. 

On the 14th, Prince Edward (the late Duke of 
Kent) arrived very unexpectedly from Geneva ; 
and having sent notice of his arrival to Carlton 
House, the Prince of Wales immediately went to 
Nerot's Hotel, and brought him with him to 
Carlton House. The young prince, it seems, had 
returned home without permission, which gave 
great offence to their Majesties, whose displeasure 
could only be appeased by the prince's departure 
to join his regiment at Gibraltar, for which garri- 
son he set out on the 29th. 

On the 1 5th, his Royal Highness gave a splen- 
did ball to about two hundred of the nobility of 
both sexes, at Carlton House. This was rather 
a private entertainment than a gala, being chiefly 
to do honor to the Princess Gallitzin, who had 
expressed a strong desire to see English country 
dances. At this entertainment gaming ran high, 
and ''honest Jack Payne" won a thousand guineas 
at faro. Most of the foreigners of distinction then 
in London were present ; but the Duke of Orleans 
had left town for Newmarket. 



142 

In this year (1790) there were no less than two 
prosecutions against the Times, for libels on the 
royal family. The first was on the Prince of 
Wales and the Duke of York, charging them with 
having so demeaned themselves as to incur the 
just displeasure of His Majesty. The second 
was on the Duke of Clarence, asserting that he 
had returned from his station without authority. 
For the first, Walters, the printer, was fined 
£100, and sentenced to one years imprisonment. 
For the second, he was only fined £100. At the 
intercession of the prince, Walters received His 
Majesty's pardon, and obtained his liberty, in 
March, 1791, after some months' imprisonment. 

On the 8th of February, this year, the prince 
had his first state levee at Carlton House, which 
was more numerously attended than that of 
St. James's, and in some respects more splendid ; 
but the absence of the female nobility was a great 
drawback. 

At the ball at St. James's in honor of His 
Majesty's birthday, on the 18th of January, a 
most daring attempt was made to rob the Prince 
of Wales in the drawing-room. While he was 



143 

talking to the King, he felt a severe pull at 
his sword, and on looking round, perceived 
that the diamond guard was broken off, and 
suspended only by a small piece of wire, which, 
from its elasticity, did not break. The person 
whom the prince suspected to have made this 
bold attempt, had quite the appearance of a man 
of fashion. The diamonds on the part thus impu- 
dently attempted to be stolen, were worth £3000. 

In March the same year, the prince caused 
a considerable part of his stud to be sold, which 
produced about £4000. 

The prince, during the two or three succeeding 
years, spent his time chiefly at Carlton House 
and Brighton, without at all interfering in the 
deeply interesting political questions which at 
that period agitated the country. His sentiments 
were probably in accordance with those of his old 
friends, most of whom still remained in opposi- 
tion; but both parties had probably learned by 
experience, that the support of the heir-apparent 
availed little against the measures of the govern- 
ment, and could only tend to promote misunder- 
standings between the prince and his father, and 



144 

ton that account to render his Royal Highnesses 
friends still more obnoxious to the sovereign. 
Unhappily, though living thus apart from public 
affairs, and able to regulate his private concerns 
as might have been the most conducive to his 
own comfort as well as credit, and conformably 
to the pledges he had given that no new debts 
should be contracted, he entered into all the 
expensive amusements of former years. 

He maintained his connection with Mrs. Fitzher- 
bert, and was said to have contracted an intimate 
acquaintance with Lady Jersey. Though his debts 
had been paid, his establishment increased, his 
income augmented, and his palace completed, he 
was so far from confining his expenditure within 
the limits of his income, that he contracted fresh 
debts to an enormous amount. His creditors 
again became clamorous ; the usual conduct of 
his intimate friends did not improve, and the 
public journals but too often related adventures 
and occurrences equally ignoble and humiliating. 
His Majesty, whose virtuous and simple habits 
naturally rendered him averse to profligacy and 
empty splendor, could not but be deeply affected 



145 

by what he saw and what he heard, and at length 
thought of inducing the prince to enter into the 
marriage state. This His Majesty had the more 
reason to wish, as the Duke of York, who had 
married, in October, 1791, the Princess Royal of 
Prussia, had no children ; and none of the other 
sons of the King were married. His Majesty, 
therefore, frequently intimated his wishes on this 
subject to Mr. Pitt, who was far from being 
friendly to the measure, and made objections to 
which the monarch, who did not like contradic- 
tion in his domestic affairs, would not listen, so 
that the minister of course yielded, and left it 
wholly to His Majesty to manage this important 
affair. 

It cannot be thought extraordinary that the 
previous habits of the prince rendered him averse 
to entering into the state of marriage. He who 
had so long ruled the hearts of some of the most 
beautiful and accomplished of his countrywomen, 
was not likely to bring his mind to enjoy, or even 
to endure, the restrictions of matrimonial life. 
Besides, his connection with Mrs. Fitzherbert was 

L 



146 

a very serious obstacle. Not only was the prince 
really attached to her, but it might be presumed 
that she would exert her influence to deter him 
from marriage, since her dignity, fortune, rank, 
and happiness, must materially suffer by such an 
arrangement. She therefore cannot be blamed 
for her endeavours to divert the prince from any 
such plan. But it must not be omitted, that 
after the prince was actually married, she con- 
ducted herself in such a manner, that the Princess 
of Wales was used to speak of her in friendly 
terms. She did not endeavour longer to exercise 
her influence over the prince ; and although the 
connection between them was subsequently 
renewed, it was by his desire, and not at her 
request. 

It is probable that the prince, whose professed 
admiration of the fair sex in general was a bar to 
his entering into an indissoluble engagement with 
an individual, would not have consented to such 
a step, had he not unhappily contracted such a 
mass of debts, that he found himself under the 
necessity of applying to the King and to Mr. Pitt 



147 

for assistance. It is certain that he was informed 
there was no alternative but marriage, to which 
he at length assented, on an understanding that 
all his debts should be paid. 

When the idea of engaging the prince to marry 
was made a subject of discussion in the royal 
family, the chief point was the choice of the 
person who was to be the future Queen of these 
kingdoms; and it seemed natural to think, that 
an endeavour would be made to find, if possible, 
some princess not only unexceptionable in rank 
and character, but endowed with personal attrac- 
tions and accomplishments; qualified to obtain 
the love and esteem of her royal consort. There 
is every reason to believe, that the Queen had pre- 
viously proposed a niece of her own, to whom it 
seems no possible objection could have been made, 
she being no other than the most beautiful and ac- 
complished Louisa, Princess of Mecklenburg, after- 
wards the heroic and lamented Queen of Prussia. 
If any woman could have fixed the affections of 
such a prince as his Royal Highness then was, it 
might have been hoped, that that highly-gifted prin- 
cess would have achieved so desirable an object. 

l2 



148 

But the King had resolved that the honor of this 
alliance should be given to his own niece, the 
Princess Caroline Amelia Elizabeth, daughter of 
the Duke of Brunswick, whose duchess was the 
Princess Augusta, His Majesty's sister. The 
King seems to have formed this plan some time 
previous to its being formally proposed. He had 
made it a matter of family conversation and cor- 
respondence, and in two letters to his sister, the 
Duchess of Brunswick, had adverted to the sub- 
ject. It appears to be indisputable, that the 
duchess had, in consequence, conceived it to be 
possible that her daughter might be selected as 
the consort of the future King of England, and 
actually expressed her hopes to that effect, to a 
lady of her court. Yet it must be allowed, that 
reasonable objections might have been made to 
an alliance between individuals so nearly related, 
and who had not possessed any opportunities of 
personal acquaintance. 

The preliminary objection which the Prince of 
Wales had invariably made, when marriage was 
recommended to him, now appearing to the King 
to be removed, His Majesty's solicitude to see the 



149 

prince settled increased ; he confidently hoped 
that the ties of domestic life would withdraw him 
from his constant intercourse with society of 
which, as a father and sovereign, he could not 
approve, and would wean him from those perni- 
cious habits of lavish expenditure, which were the 
foundation of all his mortifying pecuniary embar- 
rassments; he therefore requested the prince 
to consent to a union with the Princess of 
Brunswick. 

The requisition was made at a time when 
the resources of the prince were entirely ex- 
hausted — when his creditors grew importunate — 
when it became necessary to discharge some 
debts of honor — and when, therefore, the pros- 
pect of relief, even at any sacrifice, appeared 
desirable. The portrait of the Princess of 
Brunswick, which had been shown to the Prince 
of Wales, represented a woman of by no means 
a disagreeable appearance; the Duke of York, 
who had seen her at her father's court, reported 
favorably of her ; and the promise of the King, 
in writing, that on the marriage of the prince, 
his debts should be discharged, his income 



150 

increased, and the favor of his father augmented 
and secured, additionally operated on his mind 
in favor of the connection. He consulted some 
of his confidential friends, who advised him to 
give his consent, which he accordingly did. 

Matters having been brought to this point, in 
the commencement of the year 1794, after many 
previous intimations on the subject, the Duke of 
Brunswick received from His Majesty King 
George III. formal proposals for a marriage 
between the Prince of Wales and the Princess 
Caroline. On this receipt, the duke immediately 
consulted his daughter, and her mother did not 
strive to conceal her happiness and delight. The 
princess received the intelligence with composure 
amounting to indifference. That the proposed 
union was one by which her family would be 
elevated, and by which her own happiness might 
be improved, she admitted; but her heart was, of 
course, unmoved by the prospect. Her consent 
she did not withhold, because, although she had 
heard of the follies of the prince, she had also 
heard of his virtues ; and his generosity and sen- 
sibility had been greatly extolled. Yet here it 



151 

must be admitted, that the princess neither did, 
nor could love her future husband. Her affec- 
tions had been fixed on a young German prince, 
to whom she could not give her hand. The pre- 
cise state of her mind cannot be better explained 
than in her own words. 

In a letter written to a friend, dated 28th No- 
vember, 1794, she thus expressed herself: — " You 
are aware, my friend, of my destiny. I am about 
entering into a matrimonial alliance with my first- 
cousin, George Prince of Wales. His generosity 
I regard, and his letters bespeak a mind well cul- 
tivated and refined. My uncle is a good man, 
and I love him very much, but I feel that I shall 
never be inexpressibly happy. Estranged from 
my connections, my associations, my friends, all 
that I hold dear and valuable, I am about enter- 
ing on a permanent connection. I fear for the 
consequences. Yet I esteem and respect my 
intended husband, and I hope for great kindness 
and attention. But, ah me! I say sometimes, I 
cannot now love him with ardor. I am indifferent 
to my marriage, but not averse to it ; I think I 
shall be happy, but I fear my joy will not be 



152 

enthusiastic. The man of my choice I am de- 
barred from possessing, and I resign myself to my 
destiny. I am attentively studying the English 
language; I am acquainted with it, but I wish to 
speak it with fluency. I shall strive to render my 
husband happy, and to interest him in my favor, 
since the Fates will have it that I am to be Prin- 
cess of Wales." 

This letter was written in German, and was 
addressed to a German lady, residing for a short 
time in England. 

According to the determination expressed in 
the letter, an extract from which has just been 
inserted, the princess devoted a great part of her 
time, prior to quitting her native country, to the 
acquiring of a more accurate knowledge of the 
English language. Her success was rapid and 
complete. The Prince of Wales, on her arrival, 
complimented her on the fluency and propriety 
with which she spoke it, and " declared on his 
honor, that no Englishwoman could possibly 
excel her." 

The first official intimation of the intended 
marriage was conveyed to the public in the speech 



153 

which His Majesty delivered on the 30th of 
December, 1794, to both Houses of Parliament, 
in which he expressed himself in the following 
manner : — " I have the greatest satisfaction in 
announcing to you the happy event of the conclu- 
sion of a treaty of marriage of my son, the Prince 
of Wales, with the Princess Caroline, daughter 
of the Duke of Brunswick : the constant proofs 
of your affection for my person and family per- 
suade me, that you will participate in the senti- 
ments I feel on an occasion so interesting to my 
domestic happiness ; and that you will enable me 
to make provision for such an establishment as 
you may think suitable to the rank and dignity 
of the heir-apparent to the crown of these 
kingdoms. 

In their address to His Majesty, the Com- 
mons replied, " We cannot sufficiently express 
the satisfaction which all Your Majesty's subjects 
derive, from the auspicious event of the conclu- 
sion of a treaty for the marriage of his Royal 
Highness the Prince of Wales, with the Princess 
Caroline, daughter of the Duke of Brunswick ; 
and participating warmly in the sentiments which 



154 

Your Majesty must feel, on an occasion not 
less connected with the interests of your people 
than with the domestic happiness of Your 
Majesty, we shall cheerfully proceed to enable 
Your Majesty to make provision for an establish- 
ment suitable to the rank and dignity of the heir- 
apparent of the crown of these kingdoms." 

On the 30th December, 1794, her Serene High- 
ness left the court of Brunswick, attended by her 
mother and a splendid and numerous retinue. 
The acclamations of the populace followed her for 
several miles on her route. When they arrived 
at Peina, the duchess was somewhat indisposed, 
and they were obliged to delay the journey; but 
on the 1st of January, 1795, they reached Osna- 
burg, where they were met by a messenger from 
Lord St. Helens, announcing that in consequence 
of the war which then existed in Germany, the 
squadron which was destined to convey her to 
England, had returned ; and advising her to vary 
her intention of entering Holland. She had been 
invited to Hanover by the regency, and the 
bishop's palace was prepared for her reception. 
She accepted the invitation, and remained there 



155 

for several weeks. She then proceeded, accom- 
panied by her suite, to Cuxhaven, for the purpose 
of embarking for the place of her destination^ 
During the period which elapsed from the time 
of her leaving Brunswick, to that of quitting 
Cuxhaven, she yet farther studied the English 
language — read many hours every day — made 
many inquiries as to English manners and cus- 
toms — and appeared particularly anxious to be 
perfectly acquainted with the genius and charac- 
ter of the nation over whom she might one day be 
called to reign. 

At length, on the 28th of March, 1795, she 
embarked in the Jupiter, Commodore Payne. 
Mrs. Harcourt, and Lord Malmesbury, embarked 
in the same ship; and Major Heslop, Colonel 
Richardson, and Mr. Ross, in the Phaeton frigate. 
Mrs. Aston and Mrs. St. Leger, who had been 
sent by the Prince of Wales to meet her, also 
accompanied her. Lady Jersey, who had also 
been directed to embark from Rochester, returned 
to London with the excuse of being unwell, and 
stated her inability to proceed. On the 29th of 



156 

March, 1795, the vessels weighed anchor from 
Cuxhaven, with a fair wind at E. N. E. which 
continued for three days, when a thick fog came 
on. They were then only six leagues from Yar- 
mouth, but as it was dangerous to draw nearer 
the coast, the ships dropped anchor. In this 
situation they lay through the whole of Thursday. 
The princess had hitherto been extremely well, 
had walked the quarter deck every day, and was 
uncommonly cheerful; but the fog, and the 
motion of the vessel at anchor, disturbed her 
health. On Friday, April 4th, the morning was 
uncommonly fine ; and, at four o'clock, the Jupiter 
made the signal to get under weigh. The fleet 
went under an easy sail, came off Harwich about 
noon, and passed through the Swin, to enter the 
Thames. About two, a very thick fog came on, 
which obliged the commodore to drop anchor. 
At four, the fog dispersed, and the signal being 
made to unmoor, the fleet again got under weigh, 
and about six o'clock dropped anchor at the 
Nore; being saluted from the Sandwich guard-ship 
stationed there. 



157 

At nine o'clock on Saturday morning, 4th of 
April, the ships got under weigh, the tide serving, 
and about noon the Jupiter anchored off Graves- 
end. The princess slept on board that night. 

On Sunday morning, as soon as the tide served, 
her Serene Highness, accompanied by Mrs. Har- 
court, Lord Malmesbury, Commodore Payne, 
Mrs. Aston, and Mrs. St. Leger, disembarked 
from the Jupiter, and went on board one of the 
royal yachts; and, after twelve o'clock, landed at 
Greenwich Hospital. The princess was received 
by Sir Hugh Paliser, the governor, and other 
officers, who conducted her to the governor's 
house. Lady Jersey did not arrive at the gover- 
nor's till an hour after the princess had landed : 
and soon after they both retired into an adjoining 
room, and the dress of the princess was changed, 
for one which was brought from town by the 
Countess of Jersey. 

It is impossible to conceive the bustle occa- 
sioned at Greenwich by the arrival of the princess. 
The congregation in the Hospital chapel left it be- 
fore service was half over. The satisfaction of the 



158 

people was expressed by unbounded acclama* 
tions. 

A little after two o'clock, her Serene Highness 
left the governor's house, and got into one of the 
King's coaches, drawn by six horses. In this 
coach were also Mrs. Harcourt and Lady Jersey* 
Another of His Majesty's coaches and six pre- 
ceded it, in which were Mrs. Harvey Aston, Lord 
Malmesbury, Lord Clermont, and Colonel Gre- 
ville. In a third coach with four horses, were two 
female servants, whom the princess brought from 
Germany, and who were her only German atten- 
dants from that country. The princess's carriage 
was escorted on each side by a party of the Prince 
of Wales' own regiment of light dragoons, com- 
manded by Lord Edward Somerset. Besides this 
escort, the road was lined at small distances by 
troops of the heavy dragoons, who were stationed 
from Greenwich all the way to the Horse-Guards. 

Westminster- bridge, and all the avenues leading 
to the park and the palace, were crowded with 
spectators and carriages; but the greatest order 
was preserved. The people cheered the princess 



159 

with loud expressions of love and loyalty, and in 
return she very graciously bowed and smiled as 
she passed them. Both the carriage windows 
were down. 

At three o'clock, her Serene Highness alighted 
at St. James's, and was introduced into the apart- 
ments prepared for her reception, which look into 
Cleveland-row. 

After a short time, the princess appeared at the 
windows, which were thrown up. The people 
huzzaed her, and she curtsied ; this continued some 
minutes, until the prince arrived from Carlton 
House. 

At a little before five o'clock, the prince and 
princess sat down to dinner. After dinner, the 
people continuing to huzza before the palace, his 
Royal Highness appeared at the window, and 
thanked them for this mark of their loyalty and 
attention to the princess ; but he hoped they 
would excuse her appearance then, as it might 
give her cold. This completely satisfied the 
crowd, who gave the prince three cheers. 

After dinner, the prince and princess were 
visited by the King, Queen, and princesses, Duke 



160 

of Clarence, Duke of Gloucester, Prince William 
and Princess Sophia, and continued with them 
for three hours. The King was particularly affa- 
ble and kind to his intended daughter, but the 
Queen evinced little pleasure, made but few in- 
quiries, and manifested much less satisfaction 
than was shewn by the King. The prince was 
not only polite and affable to the princess, but 
paid her many compliments; expressed his hap- 
piness and confidence in the prospect of a union 
with her, and his surprise at the fluency with 
which she conversed in English. 

In the evening, when the populace had become 
rather loud in their expressions of loyalty and 
attachment before the princess's apartments in 
Cleveland-row, her Serene Highness, in a voice 
replete with melody and delicacy of tone, thus 
addressed them from the palace window: — u Be- 
lieve me, I feel very happy and delighted to see 
the good and brave English people— the best 
nation upon earth." At eleven o'clock the prince 
retired, and the princess was then left under the 
care of Mrs. Aston. 

Considering the intimate connection which was 



161 

generally asserted to exist between the Prince 
of Wales and Lady Jersey, the choice of her lady- 
ship as one of the attendants on the princess 
must be allowed to have been, to say the least, a 
most injudicious step, if not a direct affront to 
the royal consort ; and there is too much reason 
to believe, that the unhappy differences which 
so soon disturbed the harmony of the royal 
couple, and disappointed the fond expectations of 
the nation, originated in the artful intrigues of an 
ambitious and jealous woman. 

Lady Jersey, who had been present during the 
greatest part of the interview between the prince 
and princess, and had remarked, with a feeling of 
displeasure, the attentions which the prince paid 
to his intended consort, seems to have resolved to 
avail herself of the time that would elapse before 
a second interview, to prejudice the prince against 
her royal mistress. The princess, it is said, had 
incautiously avowed to Lady Jersey her previous 
attachment to a German prince, but probably not 
in such strong terms as her ladyship represented; 
however, on the succeeding day, Lady Jersey 
apprised the prince of this previous attachment 

M 



162 

owned by the princess, with whose person and 
manners she also found much fault. 

On the next day, therefore, when the Prince of 
Wales visited St. James's, he was cool and reserved 
in his manners, and manifested, if not an aversion to 
the Princess of Brunswick, at least a considerable 
alteration in his behaviour. Queen Charlotte has 
been accused of being the individual who effected, 
or contributed to effect, this alteration; but it 
seems much more rational to ascribe it to the 
intrigues of a rival, than to a princess whose con- 
duct, in every part of her life, places her far 
above any such suspicion. 

At length the day for the celebration of the 
marriage arrived, and the nuptials were solemnized 
on the evening of the 8th of April, in the chapel 
royal, St. James's, by the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury. The processions, to and from the chapel, 
were in the following order : 

THE PROCESSION OF THE BRIDE. 

Drums and Trumpets. 

Kettle Drums. 

Sergeant Trumpeter. 

Master of the Ceremonies. 



163 

The Bride's Gentlemau Usher, between the two Senior 

Heralds. 

His Majesty's Vice-Chamberlain. 

His Majesty's Lord Chamberlain. 

The Bride, 

In her nuptial habit, with a coronet, led by his^ Royal 

Highness the Duke of Clarence, her train 

borne by four unmarried daughters 

of Dukes and Earls, viz. 

Lady Mary Osborne, Lady Charlotte Spencer* 

Lady Caroline Villers, Lady Charlotte Legge: 

And her Highness was attended by the ladies of her 

household. 

On entering the chapel, her Highness was con- 
ducted to the seat prepared for her, near Her 
Majesty's chair of state. The master of the cere- 
monies, with the gentleman usher, retired to the 
places assigned them. 

The lord chamberlain, and vice-chamberlain, 
with a herald, returned to attend the bridegroom ; 
the senior herald remaining in the chapel, to con- 
duct the several persons to their respective 
places. 

THE BRIDEGROOM'S PROCESSION, 

In the same order as that of the bride, with the 

m 2 



164 

addition of the officers of his Royal Highness's 
household. 

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, 

In his Collar of the order of the Garter, supported by 

two unmarried Dukes, viz. 

Duke of Bedford, Duke of Roxburgh: 

And his Royal Highness being conducted to his 
seat in the chapel, the lord chamberlain, vice- 
chamberlain, and two heralds, returned to attend 
His Majesty. 

THEIR MAJESTIES' PROCESSION. 

Drums and Trumpets, as before. 

Knight Marshal. 

Pursuivants. 

Heralds. 

Treasurer of the Household. 

Master of the Horse. 

Two married Dukes, viz. 

Duke of Leeds, Duke of Beaufort, 

Lord Steward of the Household. 

Provincial King of Arms. 

Sergeants C Lord Privy Seal, ^ Sergeants 

at Arms. C Lord President of the Council. 5 at Arms. 

Archbishop of York. 

Lord High Chancellor. 



165 

Archbishop of Canterbury. 
Garter Principal King at Arms, with his sceptre, between 
two Gentlemen Ushers. 
The Earl Marshal, with his staff. 
Princes of the Blood Royal, viz. 
Prince William. 
His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester. 
His Royal Highness the Duke of York. 
Sword of State, 
Borne by the Duke of Portland, between the Lord 
Chamberlain and Vice-Chamberlain of the Household. 
His Majesty, 
In the Collar of the Order of the Garter. 
Captain of the r Golonel of the ^ Captain of the 
Yeomen of the I Life Guards \ Band of Gentle- 
Guards, v in Waiting. J men Pensioners. 

The Lord of the Bed-chamber in Waiting. 

Master of the Robes. 

Groom of the Bed-chamber. 

Vice -Chamberlain to the Queen. 

Her Majesty, 

Between the Queen's Lord Chamberlain, and the Queen's 

Master of the Horse. 

Their Royal Highnesses the Princess Royal, 

Princess Augusta Sophia, 

Princess Elizabeth, 



166 

Princess Mary, 
Princess Sophia, 
Princess Amelia. 
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York, 
Princess Sophia of Gloucester, 
Supported severally by their Gentlemen Ushers. 
The Ladies of Her Majesty's Bed-chamber. 
Maids of Honor. 
Women of Her Majesty's Bed-chamber. 

Upon entering the chapel, the several persons 
in the procession were conducted to the places 
appointed for them. Their Majesties went to 
their chairs on the haut pas, the bride and bride- 
groom to their seats, and the rest of the royal 
family to those prepared for them. 

At the conclusion of the marriage service, their 
Majesties retired to their chairs of state under 
the canopy, while the anthem was performing. 
The procession afterwards returned in the fol- 
lowing manner : — 

Drums and Trumpets, as before. 

Master of the Ceremonies. 

The Princess's Gentleman Usher, between two Heralds. 

Officers of the Prince's Household. 



167 

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, leading 

the Bride, 

And supported by two married Dukes, viz. 

Duke of Beaufort, Duke of Leeds. 

The Ladies of Her Royal Highness's Household. 

The procession, at the return, filed off in the 
privy chamber. Their Majesties, the bridegroom 
and bride, with the rest of the royal family, and 
the great officers, proceeded into the levee 
chamber, where the registry of the marriage was 
attested with the usual formalities; after which 
the procession continued into the lesser drawing- 
room ; and their Majesties, with the bridegroom 
and bride, and the rest of the royal family, passed 
into the grand council chamber, where the great 
officers of state, nobility, foreign ministers, and 
other persons of distinction, paid their compliments 
on the occasion. 

The evening concluded with very splendid illu- 
minations, and other public demonstrations of joy, 
throughout London and Westminster. 

In a few days the two Houses of Parliament 
voted unanimous addresses of congratulation to 
their Majesties, and to the Prince and Princess of 



168 

Wales; and their example was followed by the 
corporation of London, the universities of Oxford 
and Cambridge, and most of the other public 
bodies in the kingdom. 

How much the King was interested in this 
match^ was manifest by several minute circum- 
stances connected with the ceremonial of the day. 
The whole of the royal family having dined toge- 
ther at the Queen's palace, it was necessary after- 
wards for them to proceed to St. James's, to their 
respective apartments, to dress ; and on leaving 
Buckingham House, the good old King not only 
saluted the princess in the hall, but gave the 
Prince of Wales such a hearty shake of the hand 
as brought tears into his eyes. 

When the service was performing, and the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury came to that part where it 
is asked, " Who gives the bride in marriage ? " 
His Majesty instantly and eagerly advanced to 
the princess, and taking her with both his hands, 
presented her with the greatest marks of satis- 
faction. 

His Majesty was also carefully watchful of the 
conduct of all ; and the prince, after repeating his 



169 

part of the service with great clearness and preci- 
sion, having risen too soon from his kneeling pos- 
ture, the archbishop paused, when the King, 
instantly observing the accidental error, rose from 
his seat, and whispered to the prince, who 
kneeled again, and the service was concluded. 

After the ceremonial, their Majesties held a 
drawing-room, which was numerously and bril- 
liantly attended : and on its close, the whole of 
the royal family returned to the Queen's palace to 
supper, quite in a domestic style, the new-mar- 
ried pair retiring to Carlton House at midnight. 

The next morning the King and Queen, previ- 
ous to setting off for Windsor, paid them a nuptial 
visit, after which the bride and bridegroom set off 
for Windsor also, where the honey-moon was 
commenced under auspices, which unhappily 
failed to be as permanent as a loyal nation were 
anxious they should prove. 

The celebration of this splendid ceremony was 
hailed by all ranks and orders of people with en- 
thusiasm. The thunder of the cannon in the park 
and at the tower, was answered by the acclamations 
of the populace, and the ringing of bells ; by the 



170 

display of flags, and the flashing of a million tapers, 
fantastically shining in all shapes and dimensions, 
and illuminating the whole of the metropolis. 
The sympathetic feeling extended itself with the 
rapidity of lightning to the remotest parts of the 
empire, and produced the most enthusiastic effu- 
sions of loyalty and joy* 

Unfortunately, these promising appearances 
were but of short duration; within a few days 
after the marriage, the princess was informed that 
Lady Jersey had been on terms of intimacy with 
the prince — that she had endeavoured to poison 
his mind against her, by false and injurious state- 
ments — and " that Lady J. was the real wife, 
and the Princess of Wales only the nominal one.' , 
Every day led her to believe that such informa- 
tion was correct, and she avowed to the prince 
the dislike she entertained of her ladyship. That 
avowal he received with considerable displeasure, 
and professed for the individual the most sincere 
friendship ; but a few words of mutual explana- 
tion at that time reconciled the difference. 

As one of the conditions on which the prince 
had been induced to give a reluctant assent to the 



171 

marriage proposed was, that he should be com- 
pletely relieved from the pecuniary embarrass- 
ments under which he labored, His Majesty, on 
the 27th of April, 1795, sent to both Houses 
of Parliament a message, stating his reliance on 
their loyalty and affection, for enabling him to 
form an establishment for the prince and his 
august bride, suited to their rank and dignity ; 
that the benefit of any settlement then to be made 
could not be effectually secured to the prince, till 
he was relieved from his present incumbrances to 
a large amount; but that His Majesty did not 
propose to his Parliament any other means of 
providing for that object, than the application of 
a part of the income that might be settled on the 
prince, and the appropriation, for a certain time, 
of the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall ; de- 
claring his readiness to concur in any plan of 
establishing a proper and regular arrangement in 
the prince's future expenditure, and of guarding 
against the possibility of his being again involved. 
As this communication was made at a, season 
of great national embarrassment, and when the 
discontent of the people ran very high, it cannot 



172 

be a matter of surprise, that it should have excited 
a considerable sensation among some of the inde- 
pendent members of the House of Commons. 
Accordingly, when Mr. Pitt moved for a com- 
mittee to consider of the King's message, Colonel 
Stanley, member for Lancashire, moved for read- 
ing that sent to the House, on the 24th of 
May, 1787, relative to the former discharge of the 
prince's debts. This being done, an animated 
debate ensued, and the debate was adjourned. 

While the public attention was attracted to the 
debates in Parliament on this interesting question, 
a variety of publications were issued from the 
press, teeming with the most virulent abuse of 
the Prince of Wales ; of which, however, no notice 
was taken by the Attorney-General, or otherwise, 
to punish the authors of those libels; and the 
moment was favorable for the propagation of 
them. It was industriously circulated, and 
pretty generally believed, that the French Revo- 
lution, and the evils which it had brought on 
royalty in that country, had been produced by 
the prodigality of the princes of the blood ; nor 
can we wonder at such a notion having obtained 



173 

credit among the public, when we find so well- 
informed and upright a man as the late Mr. Curwen 
making this assertion in the House of Commons. 
On the 14th of May, the further consideration 
of the prince's debts was resumed. Mr. Pitt stated 
the necessity of an additional establishment, on 
account of the marriage of the prince, and a 
jointure for her Royal Highness. These were the 
only objects to which he directed the considera- 
tion of the committee. The income of the prince 
was then ,£60,000 a-year, exclusive of the Duchy 
of Cornwall, which was about £13,000 per annum. 
Fifty years ago, his grandfather, then Prince of 
Wales, possessed a net income of £100,000 per 
annum, in addition to the Duchy of Cornwall. 
Eighty years back, his great-grandfather, then 
Prince of Wales, had £100,000, without that 
Duchy ; and from a review of those establishments, 
the House would see that his Royal Highness 
ought to have a considerable addition, even if he 
was not encumbered with debt. The difference 
of expense, between the former periods and the 
present time, amounted, he thought, to at least 
one-fourth of the whole income. He therefore 



174 

proposed that the income of his Royal Highness 
should be £125,000 per annum, exclusive of the 
Duchy of Cornwall. This was no more, he thought, 
than the committee would be disposed to allow to 
the prince, on the event of a marriage which they 
approved and rejoiced in. Here, he said, rested 
the present question: with respect to regulations 
to be made hereafter, he should state the prepara- 
tions for the marriage at £27,000, or £28,000, for 
jewels and plate, and £26,000 for finishing Carlton 
House. The j ointure of the princess to be £50,000 
a year. The debts of his Royal Highness, which 
were for future consideration, he stated at nearly 
£630,000, up to the last April quarter ; besides 
which, there were some debts in which he was 
security for his two brothers; but, from their meri- 
torious exertions, those debts were in such a train 
of liquidation, and course of punctual discharge, 
that there was no fear of their becoming burden- 
some to the public. He wished to take the sense 
of the House on the best mode of freeing his Royal 
Highness from his incumbrances, and was con- 
vinced, that, before the House should take any 
step for their liquidation, they ought to be clearly 



175 

stated for accurate investigation; and for this 
purpose, he wished to know whether the House 
would prefer a secret committee, as being the 
most expeditious mode, or whether they would 
leave the whole to be settled under a legislative 
provision. Whatever mode was adopted, it was 
necessary that regard should be had to a provision 
against contracting debts in future. It was, he 
thought, necessary that Parliament should mark 
the sense they entertained of the manner in which 
his Royal Highness had incurred his present 
embarrassments ; and in that view, the liquidation 
of the debt might properly be a tax on the afflu- 
ence of the prince. He should therefore, in a future 
stage of this proceeding, propose certain provisions 
for liquidating the debts out of the revenue of the 
Duchy of Cornwall, and the other income of his 
Royal Highness, certain parts of which should be 
vested in the hands of commissioners, to discharge 
the debt and interest at four per cent., except 
such as bore legal interest at five. For this pur- 
pose he proposed £25,000 a year should be set 
apart, which would discharge the debt in about 
twenty-seven years. In case of the demise of the 



176 

Prince of Wales within that time, £25,000 would 
be charged annually on that succession ; but in 
the event of the demise of the crown and of his 
Royal Highness within that time, the burden must 
fall on the consolidated fund. There were, he 
said, two heads to be attended to in the business 
under consideration — the punctual payment of 
the debts already contracted — and that no further 
debts should be incurred. For this purpose, no 
arrears should, on any pretence, go beyond the 
quarter — that debts not then claimed should 
wholly lapse — that debts thus claimed should be 
punctually paid, and no other. Mr. Pitt further 
proposed to invest Carlton House in the crown 
for ever ; that the furniture should be considered 
as an heirloom ; and that all suits, for recovery of 
debts from his Royal Highness, should lie against 
his officers. He concluded by moving, that His 
Majesty be enabled to appropriate £65,000 per 
annum in addition to the establishment of the 
Prince of Wales; making his whole income 
£125,000, besides £13,000 from the Duchy of 
Cornwall. 
To the propositions of Mr. Pitt many objec- 



177 

tions were made, but ultimately the annual 
income, the expenses of repairing Carlton House, 
and those attending the marriage, were voted. 

On May 28th, the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
gave notice of his intention to move, that part of 
the income should be devoted to the liquidation 
of the debts. This intimation produced, on the 
1st of June, a message from the Prince of Wales, 
which was brought down by Mr. Anstruther, and 
stated that his Royal Highness was desirous to 
acquiesce in whatever might be the sentiments 
of the House, both with respect to his future 
expenditure, and the appropriation of any part of 
the income they might grant him, for the dis- 
charge of his debts ; his wish being entirely to 
consult the wisdom of Parliament. He was per- 
fectly disposed to acquiesce in any abatement of 
splendor they might judge necessary ; and desired 
to have nothing but what the country might be 
cordially disposed to think he ought to have; in 
fine, that whatever measures were taken by 
Parliament, would meet with his hearty con- 
currence. This measure was countenanced by 
the princess, who declared herself willing to 

N 



178 

sacrifice any comfort and enjoyment, for the 
purpose of enabling r Jhis Royal Highness to dis- 
charge his debts, and to afford pleasure to " the 
good people of England." 

The Chancellor of the Exchequer then moved, 
that a committee should be appointed, to bring in 
a bill relative to a general regulation of the 
expenditure of his Royal Highness, and an 
appropriation of part of his income for the dis- 
charge of his debts. This proposition was 
discussed with much warmth of feeling and party 
spirit, but it was carried by a large majority. 

On the 5th of June, the Chancellor of the 
Exchequer brought up an account of the pro- 
ceeds of the Duchy of Cornwall during the 
minority of the Prince of Wales, an abstract of 
the debts,* and an account of the application of 



* Debts on various securities, and bearing 

interest £500,571 19 I 

Amount of tradesmen's bills unpaid . . 89,745 
Tradesmen's bills and arrears of establish- 
ment from the 10th of October, 1794, to 
April 5, 1795 52,573 5 3 



Total . . . £639,890 4 4 



179 

£25,000 for finishing Carlton House. He then 
stated, that, previous to the question of what 
proportion of the prince's income should be set 
apart for the payment of his debts, it was neces- 
sary for the House to ascertain whether they 
would incur the contingent risk of defraying such 
portion of those debts as should be unpaid in the 
event of the demise of his Royal Highness. It 
was his intention to move in the committee, that 
£65,000, with the income of the Duchy of Corn- 
wall, should be set apart for the liquidation of 
the debts, making an annual sum of £78,000. 
The burden could not be thrown upon the civil 
list, which, in the event of the demise of the 
prince, would be charged with the jointure of the 
princess. He should therefore move, that the 
committee have a discretionary power to provide, 
out of the hereditary revenue of the crown (in 
case of the demise of His present Majesty), during 
the life of his Royal Highness, for the payment 



The several sums paid from the revenues of the Duchy of 
Cornwall, during the minority of his Royal Highness the 
Prince of Wales, from the 21st of July, 1763, to the 7th of 
May, 1783, amounted to £233,764 lis. 2d. 

N2 



18G 

of his debts ; and, in case of the demise of the 
prince, to provide out of the consolidated fund, 
for the payment of such sums as should then 
remain unpaid. He explained, that for several 
reigns it had been thought proper to commute 
the hereditary revenue for the civil list. The mode 
he proposed was the only one calculated to give 
security to the creditors, or, in the event of an 
accession to the throne, to render his Royal 
Highness responsible for the payment of his 
remaining debts. 

Subsequent to these proceedings, " a bill for 
preventing future Princes of Wales from incurring 
debts," was brought into Parliament by Sir W. 
Pulteney; another bill was also introduced for 
granting an establishment to his Royal Highness ; 
and a third for granting a jointure to the Princess 
of Wales; all which were passed on the 26th of 
June. The discussions which occurred during 
these proceedings were peculiarly painful to the 
mind of the princess, and she frequently said, 
"she would rather live on bread and water in a 
cottage, than have the affairs and conduct of the 
royal family, and of her husband, so investigated 



181 

and censured." No individual could entertain 
more rigid sentiments than the princess, as to the 
rights and dignity of royalty, and she was there- 
fore proportionately distressed by all these dis- 
cussions. 

In the course of the debates which occurred 
in the House of Lords, the Duke of Clarence 
stated, that it was a matter of public notoriety, 
that when the prince's marriage was agreed upon, 
" there was a stipulation that he should, in the 
event of that union, be exonerated from his debts ; 
and speaking of the princess, he described her as 
a lovely and amiable woman, torn from her 
family ; for though," he continued, " her mother 
is the King's sister, she may still be said to be 
torn from her family, by being removed from all 
her early connections. What must be her feelings 
from such circumstances, attendant on her recep- 
tion in a country where she had a right to expect 
every thing befitting her high rank, and the 
exalted station to which she was called ?" 

Prevailed on by the Princess of Wales, by his 
father and his best friends, as well as impressed 
with the importance and necessity of the measure, 
the Prince of Wales now reduced his establish- 



182 

ment, but retained the Marchioness of Townshend, 
the Countesses of Jersey, Carnarvon, and Chol- 
mondeley. The princess requested only the 
discharge of one of the number, but the favor 
was refused. 

The Royal Marriage Act has often been cen- 
sured, and with much appearance of reason, 
as the baneful source of a large portion of the 
lamentable discord which has, at different times, 
disturbed the peace of the royal family. To this 
we are indebted in a great measure for the tardy 
marriages of the sons of George III. and the singular 
state of the succession to the throne, when, instead 
of the numerous circle of sons and daughters that 
surrounded the venerable sovereign and his 
excellent consort, we are left without an heir- 
apparent, while the presumptive heir is a princess, 
now under twelve years of age, the daughter of 
the late Duke of Kent. The fifth and seventh sons, 
their Royal Highnesses the Dukes of Cumberland 
and Cambridge, have indeed sons, and the sixth, 
the Duke of Sussex, by the operation of the 
Marriage Act, has been induced to live single; hav- 
ing unhappily contracted, in 1793, a marriage with 
the highly-accomplished Lady Augusta Murray, 



183 

daughter of Lord Dunmore, at that time Governor 
of the Bahama islands, with whom he became 
acquainted at Rome, where the ceremony was 
performed. Lady Murray becoming pregnant, they 
returned to England, and a second marriage took 
place in December, 1793, in the church of St. 
George, Hanover-square, according to the cere- 
monies of the Church of England. 

The King soon afterwards instituted a suit in 
the Arches Court of Canterbury, to set aside this 
marriage; and in August, 1794, the court not 
only pronounced the marriage in England null 
and void, but declared that the previous marriage, 
pretended to have been solemnized at Rome, was 
also, by the law of this country, invalid and il- 
legal. But though this union was thus legally 
annulled, his Royal Highness has been restrained, 
by a feeling of honor, from contracting a second. 

Another probable consequence of the state of 
the succession, is the eventual separation of the 
crown of Hanover from that of England, because, 
according to the laws of the German Empire, 
females are excluded from the succession. 
Should, therefore, the Princess Victoria immedi- 
ately succeed His present Majesty William IV., 



1S4 

the crown of Hanover would devolve on his 
Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, if then 
living, or his descendants. Nay, should there at 
some future time, be no descendants of the Duke 
of Cumberland to inherit the crown of Hanover, 
it would of course come to the Duke of Sussex, 
or his descendants ; and in that case it should seem 
that the son of the Duke by Lady Augusta 
Murray, if alive, (or his descendants,) might have 
a claim to the crown of Hanover ; for though the 
marriage solemnized in England was contrary to 
the law, and was declared null and void accord- 
ingly, yet the previous marriage contracted 
at Rome being a legal marriage there, and not 
contrary to the laws of Hanover, it follows that 
it must in that country be considered as valid; 
so that should the Duke of Sussex ever become 
King of Hanover, his son, Augustus d'Este, would 
be his legal successor to the throne of that kingdom. 
The troubles in France had by this time caused 
England to be filled with thousands of French 
nobility and clergy, who fled from the horrors that 
sullied their native country. Among those illus- 
trious exiles were the princes of the royal family 
of France, In August this year (1795), the prince 



185 

went to Portsmouth, to pay a visit to the Count 
d'Artois (His present Majesty Charles X.), who 
had arrived there on board the Jason frigate, 
Captain Stirling. On this visit the prince was 
accompanied by the Marquis of Buckingham, 
the Earl of Moira, Admiral Sir Peter Parker, 
Commissioners Sir Charles Saxton and Colonel 
Mulcaster. He remained two hours on board. 
The Count d'Artois was subsequently conveyed 
on board the Jason, to Leith, where he arrived 
on the 6th of January, 1796, and took up his 
residence at the palace of Holyrood House, which 
the King had ordered to be fitted up for his 
reception. Here the French princes continued 
to reside for many years, under the hospitable 
protection of the British nation, and receiving 
from His Majesty every attention that could 
alleviate the unhappy circumstances in which 
they were placed. The manner in which the French 
emigrants were received in this kingdom, belongs 
to the history of His Majesty George III., in 
which it is one of the brightest pages. It is 
sufficient to observe here, that the Prince of 
Wales behaved to them in the manner that 



186 

might have been expected from the generosity 
of his character, as will more fully appear in the 
sequel. 

Besides the French emigrants, this country 
became the asylum of others whom the progress 
of the French revolutionary arms compelled to 
abandon their own country. Among the most 
distinguished were the Stadtholder, with the 
hereditary Prince of Orange, his son, and their 
families, who arrived at Colchester at the latter 
end of January, 1795. They stopped some days 
at Colchester, where they were received with 
every mark of respect by the corporation and the 
inhabitants of that ancient borough. On their 
arrival in London, they met with a most affec- 
tionate and cordial reception from the King, who 
assigned the palace at Hampton Court for their 
residence. 

It has already been stated, that immediately 
after the prince's marriage, Lady Jersey endea- 
voured, and with too much success, to inspire him 
with aversion to his consort, to whom, as he had 
been very unwillingly united, he could not be 
expected to have any great attachment; but 



187 

a woman so circumstanced is certainly entitled 
to respect and to friendship, which', if she be a 
worthy object, time may mature into affection, 
unless the heart of her husband has already been 
given to another, which was unhappily the case 
in the present instance. 

Notwithstanding the apparent reconciliation of 
the difference that arose between the prince and 
princess, when the latter first expressed her 
feelings on this subject, new bickerings soon 
followed. The conduct of Lady Jersey became 
more marked ; she did not conceal her aversion 
for the princess — she endeavoured as much as 
possible to obtain the private society of the 
prince — and discord and misery appeared fast 
approaching. The first quarrel which occurred 
between these illustrious individuals, took place 
one day, when, in conversing on the subject, she 
declared her intention of refusing to dine with 
Lady Jersey when the prince was not present; 
and also at any time to converse with her. The 
prince insisted on a different line of conduct. He 
required her to treat Lady Jersey " as his friend," 
to dine with her at all times, and to converse 



188 

with her, as with the rest of her ladies. She 
refused so to act, and in strong language, and in 
an animated tone, inveighed against the character 
of Lady Jersey, and required her dismissal. The 
prince, on his part, refused to accede to the 
wishes of the princess, and he left her at Carlton 
House for some time, angry at her refusal and 
her conduct. 

The princess now applied to the King — she 
explained to him the causes of her unhappiness, 
and the conduct of Lady Jersey — and she repre- 
sented her situation, as a solitary, traduced, and 
miserable woman, aggravated especially by her 
delicate situation. The King interfered — effected 
a reconciliation— and prevailed on the prince to 
give up Lady Jersey, and direct that she should 
no more come into waiting. Part of that engage- 
ment was fulfilled ; but the prince was too much 
attached to Lady Jersey, wholly to abandon her. 
The prince having consented to live in a man- 
ner suitable to the limited income left to him after 
the deduction of the large portion set aside for the 
payment of his debts, the princess spent most of 
her time in privacy ; she wrote many letters, read 



189 

a great deal, and seldom appeared in public, 
except on visiting the winter theatres twice, and 
now and then appearing at the Opera. 

It was not long before the intimacy of the 
prince with Mrs. Fitzherbert, which ought to 
have been for ever abandoned, began to revive. 
The friendship was indeed not so peculiar, but a 
large pension was allowed her, a mansion in Park- 
lane was fitted up and furnished for her, frequent 
routs were given by her : of all which facts the 
princess was well aware, and every hour deplored 
them. 

Soon after the marriage, the prayer for the 
royal family was altered, by the King's desire, to 
introduce the name of the Princess of Wales. 

The situation of the princess became daily 
more distressing. Her accouchement was speedily 
expected. The prince spent but little time with 
her ; but Mrs. Fitzherbert was again visited and 
caressed. In England she was a foreigner. Her 
domestics were unfaithful. The style and splen- 
dor in which she was led to expect that she would 
live, fell infinitely short of her just expectations — 
and the character and conduct of her husband 



190 

was the subject of daily animadversion. But yet 
the King displayed the greatest kindness to her. 
He was solicitous for her health, safety, and hap- 
piness ; and by letters, by personal visits, and by 
inquiries, he evinced his anxiety and affection. 

The following is an extract from a letter written 
to a German friend, at this period. It is dated 
1st December, 1795: — 

" I expect speedily to be the mother of an 
infant. I know not how I shall be able to support 
myself in the hour of solitude, but I trust in the 
benevolence of Heaven. The Queen seldom visits 
me, and my sisters-in-law are equally attentive ! 
Yet the English character I admire, and when I 
appear in public, nothing can be more flattering 
than the reception I meet with. I was much gra- 
tified some time ago with a visit to one of the 
principal theatres; the spectacle was imposing, 
and when the audience rose to sing the national 
anthem, I thought I had never witnessed any 
thing so grand before. Yet why do I tell you of 
these things ! I am surrounded with miserable 
and evil principles; and whatever I attempt is 
misrepresented. The countess still continues here. 



191 

I hate her, and I am confident that she does me 
no less. My husband is very partial to her, and 
so the rest you will be able to divine. They tell 
me I shall have a girl. The prince wants a boy, 
but I do not care which. By the laws of England 
the parents have but little to do with it in future 
life. This I shudder at very greatly. I suppose 
you have seen the English papers. Think, my 

dear , how much the daughter of the Duke 

of Brunswick must have felt." 

But while the conduct of the prince, in renew- 
ing his intimacy with Mrs. Fitzherbert, must be 
blamed and lamented, as an unhappy deviation 
from the course which a just regard to his own 
honor, and to the influence of his example, 
should have led him to pursue, it is impossible 
not to acknowledge that that of the princess was 
not calculated to overcome the dislike which she 
was well aware her consort had had to the union, 
to inspire him with that affection which she knew 
he did not, and could not, yet feel; or to com- 
mand his respect and esteem, at least, if she failed 
in gaining his love. As His present Majesty, then 
Duke of Clarence, designated her, in the House 



192 

of Lords, as a " lovely and amiable woman," (an 
eulogium which, after the lapse of a quarter of a 
century, was repeated in still more energetic 
terms by the late Mr. Canning,) it can hardly be 
doubted that, with patience and forbearance, she 
might, in a great degree at least, have attained so 
desirable an object. Might it not have been ex- 
pected that she would, by such a mode of pro- 
ceeding, have acquired the friendship of her most 
amiable and accomplished sisters-in-law, consi- 
dering the sympathy that the female heart ever 
has for female wrongs? But, instead of acting in 
this manner, she took no pains to conceal her 
resentment and dislike. She behaved with marked 
difference to the King and to the Queen, caress- 
ing the former as her father, and receiving the 
latter with stiffness and court etiquette. It has 
been stated, that she vented her complaints on 
this subject to Lady Jersey, and that her ladyship 
repeated these complaints to the Queen. If this 
be true, the inference irresistibly follows, either 
that the stories of the prince's attachment to 
her ladyship, and of the resentment of the princess 
on that account, are fables, or that the princess 



193 

must have been the most imprudent of women, 
to make a confidante of a person whom she 
regarded as an enemy and a rival ; unless indeed 
we should suppose that such observations were 
made with a view of vexing the person against 
whom they were directed, and to whom it was 
intended they should be conveyed. That a 
female of high descent, and a haughty spirit, 
could ill brook neglect or aversion, will be 
readily acknowledged ; but the princess, instead 
of the lofty pride of conscious innocence and 
offended virtue, which have led women of as 
proud spirits as her own to endure in dignified 
silence the most outrageous wrongs, rather than 
expose them to the unhallowed gaze of unfeeling 
curiosity, was much too fond of venting her com- 
plaints both in conversation and letters; and 
during the course of her unfortunate life, her 
communications in writing, which ought to have 
been secret and confidential, too frequently found 
their way to the public through the medium of 
the press, for which, rather than for the informa- 
tion of those to whom they were immediately 
addressed, many of them, like speeches in some 

o 



194 

popular assemblies, appear to have been com- 
posed. 

As the prince now frequently absented himself 
from Carlton House, she wrote to him on the 
subject, and expressed her chagrin to Lord 
Cholmondeley, of whose gentlemanly behaviour 
she always spoke in terms of commendation. 

Yet it must be admitted, that the prince was 
kind and considerate to her Royal Highness, and 
uniformly directed that whatever she desired, 
previous to, or at her approaching accouchement, 
should be obtained. 

Meantime the king continued to treat her with 
the greatest kindness ; he frequently visited her, 
sent her presents, wrote to her, and, in short, 
acted towards her, in all respects, as an uncle 
and a father. These proofs of affection, and testi- 
monies of kindness, she always acknowledged; 
she preserved his letters till within a few days of 
her decease, and many of them are probably still 
in existence. 

But the period of her accouchement now drew 
near, and her anxieties increased in proportion as 
the event approached. 



195 

In the latter end of December, 1795* orders 
were issued to the cabinet ministers and other 
personages, whose attendance is prescribed on 
the birth of a royal child, to hold themselves in 
readiness; and on the 7th of January, 1796, at 
ten in the morning, the Princess of Wales was 
safely delivered of a daughter, and the accouche- 
ment was conducted with the most solemn forma- 
lities. The personages present at the birth, 
were the Duke of Gloucester, the Archbishop of 
Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Pre- 
sident of the Council, the Dukes of Leeds and 
Devonshire, the Lord Chamberlain, Earl Chol- 
mondeley, Lord Thurlow, and the Ladies of the 
Princess of Wales's Bed-chamber ; the Prince of 
Wales was present on this interesting and impor- 
tant occasion. 

The young princess was christened according to 
the forms of the Church of England, and received 
the name of Charlotte Augusta, the former being 
the name of the Queen, the latter of her maternal 
grandmother. The christening was solemnized on 
Thursday evening, the 11th of February, 1796, 
in the great drawing-room at St. James's, by 

o2 



196 

his grace the Archbishop of Canterbury. The 
sponsors were their Majesties in person, and her 
Royal Highness the Duchess of Brunswick, 
represented by the Princess Royal. 

The birth of the Princess Charlotte caused uni- 
versal satisfaction. The addresses of congratula- 
tion were warm and numerous. But a difference 
unhappily arose between the Prince of Wales 
and the corporation of the city of London, which 
had voted an address of congratulation. The 
prince intimated to Lord Cholmondeley, that his 
Royal Highness, having been under the necessity 
of reducing his establishment, could not receive 
the addresses in a manner suitable to his rank, 
and desired that copies of them might be sent to 
him. The citizens took offence at this, and 
Mr. Deputy Birch moved, " that as the prince 
stated that he could not receive the congratula- 
tions in a manner suitable to his situation, the 
court cannot, consistently with their own dignity, 
suffer the compliments to be presented in any 
way different from the customary form." The 
motion was agreed to, and a copy ordered to be 
conveyed to the prince. 



197 

In consequence of this, the prince desired to 
see the Lord Mayor in private, at Carlton House. 
His lordship obeyed the summons, and at the 
next court-day, stated the result of the interview. 
His Royal Highness had told him, that " he was 
greatly concerned that his sentiments seemed to 
have been misunderstood ; he thought that he 
ought to be consistent, and as his establishment 
had been reduced, and the necessary state appen- 
dages attached to the character and rank of the 
Prince of Wales did not exist, he conceived he 
could not receive an address in state, particularly 
from the corporation of the city of London, for 
whom he entertained the highest veneration and 
respect; and he, therefore, did not wish to re- 
ceive their address in a manner inconsistent with 
their character and his own dignity." The court 
does not appear to have done any thing farther, 
except to enter the particulars on the records ; 
yet one would think they might have been satis- 
fied, as even the congratulations of the two Houses 
of Parliament were presented by committees, in 
consequence of the reduced state of the prince's 
establishment. 



19S 

During the period of the restoration of the 
Princess of Wales, the inquiries of His Majesty- 
were very kind and frequent. The prince mani- 
fested considerable pleasure at the birth of his 
daughter; frequently visited his royal consort, 
and made inquiries as to the health of herself and 
infant. But even during this period domestic 
feuds occurred, and the anticipations of friends, 
and the desires of the nation, were frustrated and 
destroyed. Mutual confidence and affection, 
which are essential to happiness in the marriage 
state, they did not feel or possess ; and it neces- 
sarily followed, that every trivial circumstance 
was magnified into importance by the previous 
state of their minds. 

Among the circumstances that contributed to 
keep alive these acrimonious feelings, was one 
which, notwithstanding all that has been said and 
published concerning it, appears still to be in- 
volved in some mystery. Not long after the 
marriage, but when the princess already felt 
herself aggrieved at the situation in which she 
found herself, and disappointed at not meeting in 
the members of the royal family that cordial regard 



199 

to which she thought herself entitled, a report 
was spread, that her Royal Highness had 
entrusted to Dr. Randolph, who was going to 
the continent, a parcel of letters for her High- 
nesses relations in Germany. It was stated, that 
one of these letters, containing some strictures on 
the character of the Queen, had been imprudently 
suffered to lie about after it was written, and that it 
was seen by Lady Jersey, who resolved to convey 
it to the Queen. In consequence of this, it was 
alleged that she had contrived to get the packet 
into her hands, and that the letters were after- 
wards in the Queen's possession. The public, 
who had long been prejudiced against the prince, 
and knowing that his union with the princess had 
not been a matter of choice, presumed that he 
would very probably treat her with neglect, came 
at once to the conclusion, that the blame of the 
want of harmony between them must be all on 
his side, and warmly espoused the cause of the 
princess. The letters had never reached their 
destination, and the princess repeatedly stated 
that she knew they were intercepted by the 
Countess of Jersey, and delivered by her to 



200 

the Queen, Lady Jersey denied the charge ; she 
contended that she had no concern with the 
packet, and that all blame must attach to Dr. 
Randolph alone. He in his turn exculpated him- 
self from the charge, and gave a statement to 
Lady Jersey of all the circumstances ; maintaining 
that, not visiting Brunswick, he had returned the 
packet by post to the princess. The princess 
expressed herself indignant at the loss, and 
required an explanation. Inquiries and investi- 
gation ensued, but it was not for some time 
after the charge was made, nor until the public 
newspapers accused her of treachery, deceit, and 
embezzlement, that Lady Jersey endeavoured to 
clear her character from such imputations ; and 
at length she addressed to Dr. Randolph the 
following letter : — 

" Pall Mall. 

" The newspapers being full of accusations of 
my having opened a letter either to or from her 
Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, and as I 
cannot in any way account for what can have 
given rise to such a story, excepting the loss of 



201 

those letters with which you were entrusted last 
summer, I must intreat that you will state the 
whole transaction, and publish the account in the 
newspapers you may think fit. Her Royal High- 
ness having told me, at the time when my in- 
quiries at Brighton, and yours in London, proved 
ineffectual, that she did not care about the letters, 
they being only letters of form, the whole busi- 
ness made so little impression on me, that I do 
not even recollect in what month I had the plea- 
sure of seeing you at Brighton. I think you will 
agree with me, that defending myself from the 
charge of opening a letter, is pretty much the 
same thing as if I was to prove that I had not 
picked a pocket; yet, in this case, I believe it 
may be of some use to show upon what grounds 
so extraordinary a calumny is founded. As I 
cannot wish to leave any mystery upon this 
affair, you are at liberty to publish this letter, if 
you think proper to do so." 

To this application Dr. Randolph paid no at- 
tention ; but as the affair attracted public notice, 
and became a subject of universal reprobation, 



202 

Lord Jersey addressed to Dr. Randolph another 
letter: — 

" Sir, 
" Lady Jersey wrote to you early in the 
last week, requesting that a full statement from 
you, of all that had passed relating to the packet 
of letters belonging to her Royal Highness the 
Princess of Wales, might appear in public print. 
To that letter she has received no answer from 
you ; nor have I learned that any such publica- 
tion has appeared. The delay I have been will- 
ing to attribute to accident. But it now becomes 
my duty to call upon you, and I do require it of 
you, that an explicit narrative may be laid before 
the public ; it is a justice she is entitled to, a jus- 
tice Lady Jersey's character claims, and which 
she has, and which you have acknowledged she 
has, a right to demand at your hands. Your silence 
upon this occasion I shall consider as counte- 
nancing that calumny which the false representa- 
tions of the business have so shamefully and 
unjustly drawn upon Lady Jersey. 

" I am, &c." 



203 

In consequence of this further application, Dr. 
Randolph, in a few days, wrote a letter to Lady 
Jersey, in which, after prefatory matter, he gave 
her permission to make the following statement 
public : — 

" I need not recall to your ladyship's recollec- 
tion the interview I had with the princess at 
Brighton, when she delivered to me the packet in 
question ; all her attendants in waiting were, I 
believe, present, and the conversation generally 
turned upon the various branches of her august 
family, and the alteration I should find in them 
after an absence of ten years. This interview, if 
I am not mistaken, took place on the 13th of 
August, and after waiting, by her Royal High- 
ness's desire, till the 14th, when the prince was 
expected from Windsor, to know if he had any 
commands to honor me with, I had no sooner 
received from Mr. Churchill his Royal Highness's 
answer, than I departed from London with the 
intention of proceeding to Yarmouth. On my 
arrival in town, finding some very unpleasant 
accounts of the state of Mrs. R.'s health, I took 
the liberty of signifying the occurrence to her 



204 

Royal Highness ; annexing to it, at the same 
time, a wish to defer my journey for the present, 
and that her Royal Highness would permit me to 
return the packet, or allow me to consign it to the 
care of a friend, who was going into Germany, 
and would see it safely delivered. To' this I re- 
ceived, through your ladyship, a most gracious 
message from her Royal Highness, requesting me 
by all means to lay aside my intentions, and to 
return the packet. In consequence of such orders, 
I immediately went to Carlton House, to inform 
myself by what conveyance the letters and par- 
cels were usually sent to Brighton, and was told 
that no servant was employed, but that every day 
they were, together with the newspapers, com- 
mitted to the charge of the Brighton post-coach 
from the Golden-cross, Charing- cross. On the 
subsequent morning, therefore, 1 attended at the 
Golden-cross, previous to the departure of the 
coach, and having first seen it regularly booked, 
delivered my parcel, enclosing the princess's 
packet, addressed to your ladyship at the Pavi- 
lion. Immediately afterwards I set out for Bath, 
and had scarcely been a fortnight at home, when, 



205 

to my great surprise and mortification, I received 
the following letter from your ladyship, dated 
Brighton, Sept. 1st. : — ' In consequence of your 
letter, I had her Royal Highness the Princess of 
Wales's commands to desire, that as you did not 
go to Brunswick, you should return the packet 
which she had given you. I wrote accordingly 
about a fortnight ago. Her Royal Highness not 
having received the packet, is uneasy about it, 
and desires you to inform me how you sent the 
letters to her, and where they were directed. If 
left at Carlton House, pray call there, and make 
some inquiries respecting them. 

"lam, &c.'" 

To this letter Dr. Randolph thus replied: — 

" I know not when 1 have been more seriously 
concerned than at the receipt of your ladyship's 
letter, which was forwarded to me this morning. 
The morning I left town, which was oa the 20th 
of August, I went to the Brighton post-coach, 
which I was told at Carlton House was the usual 
conveyance of the princess's papers and packets, 
and booked a parcel, addressed to your ladyship 



206 

at the Pavilion, enclosing the letters of her Royal 

Highness. I have sent to a friend in London by 

this night's post, to trace the business, and will 

request your ladyship to let your servants call 

at the Ship, the inn I believe the coach drives to 

at Brighton, to make inquiry there, and to 

examine the bill of parcels for Thursday the 

20th of August. If this prove not successful, I 

shall hold it my duty to return to town, and 

pursue the discovery myself. I shall not be easy 

till the packet is delivered safe ; and trusting that 

this will soon be the case, 

" I remain, &c. 
" Bath, September 1th, 1795." 

This is what may be called the official state- 
ment of this affair; and as the abstraction of these 
letters, and the mode in which it was effected, 
gave rise to great and bitter complaints on the 
part of the princess, and to much public clamor 
at so shameful a breach of confidence, it may not 
be irrelevant to make some remarks on the doc- 
tor's statement. 

It is to be presumed that the whole must be 
taken as correct, up to the time of the doctor's in- 



207 

quiry at Carlton House, as to the mode of sending 
the packet to Brighton. As he was there told that 
the parcels were daily forwarded, together with 
the newspapers, why did not he leave this packet, 
with directions to the servants to forward it in 
the usual way? What occasion was there for 
him to take it to the Golden-cross himself, and 
send it separately ? It was surely as likely to go 
safe in the daily parcel sent from the palace. 
As the Golden-cross was within two minutes' 
walk, why did he not immediately take the 
parcel there, instead of waiting to go on purpose 
the next day? However, he saw the parcel 
booked, and delivered it himself — enclosed, as he 
says, in a parcel which was directed to Lady 
Jersey. He then went to Bath, and a fortnight 
afterwards received the letter dated the 1st of 
September, announcing the non-receipt of it. 
As it could not be supposed that the doctor 
would keep the packet a fortnight after being 
ordered to return it to the princess, it seems 
strange, supposing it to have been of any conse- 
quence, that so long a time was suffered to 
elapse before application was made to him. 



208 

Dr. Randolph's letter of the 4th of September 
points out the proper way of tracing the parcel ; 
and we must infer from Lady Jersey's letter, 
that some of the steps here recommended were 
taken. The only positive fact seems to be, that 
the princess certainly did not receive the letters 
back; for, as the parcel was directed to Lady 
Jersey, they must have come to her through her 
ladyship's hands. The suspicion, therefore, which 
some persons have endeavoured to attach to the 
princess, that she had herself contrived the whole 
affair, for the purpose of exciting public sympathy 
with herself, and indignation against her supposed 
enemies, is quite untenable. If there was any 
plot in the case, it must have been between the 
doctor and Lady Jersey; and the former, if he 
was wholly innocent, might have proved the 
delivery and booking of the parcel, and have 
compelled the coach proprietors to prove the 
delivery at Brighton, by which he would have 
been so far exculpated, though this would not 
have shewn that the parcel really did contain the 
princess's letters. On the other hand, her lady- 
ship might surely have proved that no such 



209 

parcel was delivered to her at Brighton, on that 
day. 

The result, however, was, that the princess 
always affirmed the apparent quarrel between 
Dr. Randolph and Lady Jersey, to have been 
merely a shallow manoeuvre to exonerate each 
other, and above all Lady Jersey. That she, or 
some one by her authority, conveyed the letters to 
the Queen, was positively asserted, since observa- 
tions which they contained, were subsequently 
mentioned by her, and retailed to the royal family, 
and to many persons connected with the court. 
It was the opinion of the Princess of Wales, that 
Lady Jersey was the chief instrument in this 
transaction, and that she either received the 
packet from Dr. Randolph, prior to his quitting 
Brighton, or directed him to transmit it under 
cover to the Queen. 

The prince on this occasion vindicated the cha- 
racters of Lady Jersey and Dr. Randolph — stated 
that, in his opinion, his mother would not have 
been a party to conduct so improper — and finally 
blamed the princess for writing what she would 
object to any person's perusing. 

p 



210 

Nobody who duly appreciates the character of 
Queen Charlotte, will hesitate a moment to agree 
in the prince's opinion, as far as she was con- 
cerned. She most assuredly would never have 
suffered letters surreptitiously obtained to have 
been delivered to her ; nor, if by any chance she 
had seen the letters, was she such a lover of scan- 
dal, as to have been so communicative respecting 
them. Lady Jersey might have repeated to her 
some passages, either from the abstracted letters, 
(if they were abstracted,) or from the one which, 
by its having been carelessly left lying about, 
she was supposed to have taken the opportu- 
nity to peruse ; a thing certainly not to be jus- 
tified, but a very different matter from the steal- 
ing of the packet, of which she was so directly 
accused. It seems singular, even on this suppo- 
sition, that the princess, who was a person of good 
understanding, and who had long before this 
become suspicious of Lady Jersey, should have 
been so incautious as to leave a letter in her way, 
if it were really of such importance as represented. 
Some persons have indeed supposed that the 
parcel really was lost, and that the princess, 



211 

finding that to be the case, purposely magnified 
the importance of its contents. As for passages 
of the letters having transpired, it is highly pro- 
bable that, communicative, and often regardless 
of consequences, as she confessedly was, she had 
repeated in conversation the substance of her 
remarks. 

This transaction has been dwelt upon in this 
place, as the author very well remembers the 
sensation that it excited in favor of the princess, 
and the unmerited obloquy cast on the Queen, 
whom no rational mind can believe to have been 
concerned in so base a transaction. 

The differences which had commenced before the 
birth of the Princess Charlotte, were not allayed, 
as might have been hoped, by that happy event. 
The prince had not selected the princess for his 
consort, and however widely opinions may have 
differed respecting her character, it seems to be 
generally admitted that she was unsuited to the 
prince, and, in all probability, they would never, 
under any circumstances, have made a happy 
couple. The princess could not remain long in- 
sensible of this fact ; they were both too open and 

p2 



212 

frank to be capable of dissembling their feelings, 
and neither took much pains to conceal their 
mutual dislike.. Soon after the princess's first 
appearance in public after the birth of her 
daughter, a dispute arose, which, though ori- 
ginating in a matter of trivial importance, ended 
by widening the breach which already existed. 
It was not to be expected that this state of feel- 
ing could long subsist without producing some 
explanation or alteration ; and accordingly they 
both expressed their dissatisfaction to the 
Countess of Cholmondeley. Nothing, however, 
was yet done, and the prince visited Windsor 
and Brighton, and endeavoured to make himself 
happy in the pursuit of amusement and pleasure ; 
but the King was displeased at his continued 
absence from his wife, and expressed his desire 
to see them reunited. Though this, however, 
appeared impossible, and the spirit of the princess 
was incompatible with such a mode of life, she 
intreated that by some arrangement or under- 
standing, she might enjoy the society and protec- 
tion of her husband. She accordingly wrote to the 
prince; but he did not attend to her remonstrances, 



213 

and only directed the Countess Cholmondeley to 
urge the propriety of a separation. At the idea 
of this, her mind at first revolted. Yet the 
prince had frequently stated to her his dislike of 
her person, character, and society; and she did 
not therefore long feel that aversion to the mea- 
sure, which she otherwise would have done. On 
receiving this communication, she wrote to the 
prince, requiring an explanation of his conduct, 
and representing the sources of their uneasiness 
and dissatisfaction : and to it she received a reply 
which was to her unsatisfactory. Windsor was 
now the residence of the prince, and Carlton 
House of the princess. Interviews but rarely 
occurred, and then they only tended to increase 
their mutual unhappiness. 

In March, 1796, the necessity of a separation 
was again represented to the princess, and feeling 
that her situation could not be rendered more 
painful or degraded, she intimated to Lady Chol- 
mondeley, that if she so separated now, at the 
request of the prince, she would have it expressly 
understood, that in case of the death of the 
Princess Charlotte, prior to herself and her father, 



214 

she would not consent again to cohabit with the 
prince, merely for the purpose of preserving the 
succession of that branch of the royal family to 
the crown. During the month of April, a further 
correspondence and conference took place, and at 
length the princess requested that she might be 
definitively apprised of the wishes of the Prince of 
Wales ; at the same time adding, that if it was pos- 
sible, she would still be happy to reside with her 
husband, but that his conduct must be materially 
altered, to render her palace the abode of happi- 
ness, or even peace. She desired that her feelings 
and wishes might be communicated to the prince 
by Lord Cholmondeley. His lordship complied 
with her request, and returned a reply that his 
Royal Highness thought an immediate separation 
had better take place, and that in future they 
should each form their own arrangements. With 
a verbal message on a subject of such great im- 
portance, the princess was not content, and she 
required that she should receive from the prince, 
in writing, his wishes and proposition, that she 
might be assured the communications she received 
were those of the prince, and not of artful and 



215 

designing individuals, anxious to promote a sepa- 
ration from personal and sordid motives. 

With that request the prince soon complied, 
and on April 30, 1796, he addressed to her the 
following letter : — 

" Madam, 

" As Lord Cholmondeley informs me that 
you wish I would define, in writing, the terms 
upon which we are to live, I shall endeavour to 
explain myself upon that head with as much 
clearness, and with as much propriety as the na- 
ture of the subject will admit. Our inclinations 
are not in our power, nor should either of us be 
held answerable to the other because nature has 
not made us suitable to each other. Tranquil and 
comfortable society is, however, in our power ; 
let our intercourse, therefore, be restricted to that, 
and I will distinctly subscribe to the condition 
which you required, through Lady Cholmondeley, 
that even in the event of any accident happening 
to my daughter, which I trust Providence in its 
mercy will avert, I shall not infringe the terms of 
the restriction by proposing, at any period, a 



216 

connection of a more particular nature. I shall 
now finally close this disagreeable correspond- 
ence, trusting that, as we have completely ex- 
plained ourselves to each other, the rest of our 
lives will be passed in uninterrupted tranquillity. 
" I am, Madam, with great truth, 
very sincerely yours, 

" George P. 
" Windsor Castle, April 30, 1796." 

This letter, about which so much has been said 
and written, appears, at this distance of time, to 
have been such a one as the princess might have 
expected to receive, after matters had unhappily 
gone so far. The prince does not cast the slightest 
reproach on her, but merely tells her what she 
knew before, that their dispositions were unsuit- 
able to each other: he does not seem even to con- 
template a separate residence, as he proposes 
" to restrict their intercourse to tranquil and com- 
fortable society, which" he says, " is still in their 
power" 

The princess, however, was very much sur- 
prised and agitated by this letter. They had 



217 

indeed often spoken of separation, but when it 
was presented to her as a reality, and immediate 
occurrence, she was grieved and disappointed. 
She hesitated as to the course which it would 
be prudent for her to adopt, and accordingly 
first determined on consulting her parents at 
Brunswick ; but as some time would elapse prior 
to receiving an answer, and all delays being im- 
proper, she resolved, at the advice of a particu- 
lar friend, to consult the King, and to write a 
speedy answer to the prince. This advice har- 
monized with her own feelings ; yet she expressed 
herself desirous, if possible, to avoid distressing 
the King's mind, and agitating his sensibility, by 
relations which could not fail to produce dissatis- 
faction and unhappiness. But it was impossible. 
Lord Cbolmondeley told her that a reconci- 
liation appeared impracticable, since the feel- 
ings of the prince were not the result of mo- 
mentary displeasure, but of a long settled indif- 
ference, now amounting to dislike. He gave 
this opinion with his usual politeness and respect, 
and she felt that it was most likely to be correct. 
She then thought of returning to her father; but 



218 

she could not take such a step without incurring 
the charge of impropriety of conduct ; and, after 
much hesitation, she resolved on the letter which 
she sent, and determined on transmitting a copy 
to His Majesty. The letter was of the following 
tenor : — 

"The avowal of your conversation with Lord 
Cholmondeley neither surprises nor offends me : 
it merely confirmed what you have tacitly insi- 
nuated for this twelvemonth. But after this, it 
would be a want of delicacy, or rather an 
unworthy meanness in me, were I to complain of 
those conditions which you impose upon yourself. 
I should have returned no answer to your letter, 
if it had not been conceived in terms to make it 
doubtful whether this arrangement proceeds from 
you or from me; and you are aware that the 
honor of it belongs to you alone. 

" The letter which you announce to me as the 
last, obliges me to communicate to the King, as 
to my sovereign and my father, both your avowal 
and my answer. You will find enclosed the copy 
of my letter to the King. I apprise you of it, 



219 

that I may not incur the slightest reproach of 
duplicity from you. As I have at this moment 
no protector but His Majesty, I refer myself solely 
to him upon this subject; and if my conduct 
meet his approbation, I shall be in some degree 
at least consoled. I retain every sentiment of 
gratitude for the situation in which I find myself, 
as Princess of Wales, enabled by your means to 
indulge in the free exercise of a virtue dear to my 
heart — I mean charity. It will be my duty, 
likewise, to act upon another motive — that of 
giving an example of patience and resignation 
under every trial. 

M Do me the justice to believe, that I shall 
never cease to pray for your happiness, and to 
be your much-devoted 

" Caroline. 

" May 6, J 796." 

This letter distinctly shews that the difference 
between the prince and princess had commenced 
immediately after their marriage; for she says he 
had tacitly insinuated the same thing for a twelve- 
month, that is within a month after their union. 



220 

The princess also wrote to the King, sending him 
a copy of the above letter to the prince. 

His Majesty wrote to, and visited her, and 
endeavoured, by every possible method, to remedy 
the evils which he had been the unintentional 
instrument of producing. He could not reproach 
his son for not loving a woman "whom he had 
married from policy; and his attachments to 
Lady Jersey and Mrs. Fitzherbert had been so 
frequently discussed and reprobated by him, that 
fresh animadversions were unnecessary. The 
prince said and wrote but little on the subject. 
He respected the dignity of the royal family, and 
desired that, as much as possible, privacy should 
be preserved. In this respect all parties agreed, 
and the terms of separation now alone remained 
to be discussed. Concerning those arrangements 
some differences of opinion occurred. The King 
thought it was possible that the separation need 
not extend to a change of residence ; and this 
should appear to have been the prince's own 
original idea; for how were they to enjoy "tran- 
quil and comfortable society," if they were to 
have wholly distinct establishments? However, 



221 

when the matter came to be discussed, the prince 
and princess both preferred a complete alteration. 

The King thought that £20,000 per annum 
should be allowed to the princess for a separate 
maintenance; whilst she was advised to reject 
such income, and transmit periodically to the 
prince her accounts for payment. To remedy 
the first difference, it was determined that apart- 
ments should be reserved for her at Carlton 
House, which she might occasionally visit ; and 
to remove any objections as to the plan of her 
proposed maintenance, she promised to be eco- 
nomical in her arrangements, and retired in her 
habits. 

For some time, however, after these arrange- 
ments were concluded, the princess continued 
to reside at Carlton House, and the prince at 
Windsor and Brighton ; till, at length, she retired 
to Charlton, a small but beautiful village near 
Blackheath; where, in a comparatively humble 
abode, she resided for some years. To that 
place her beloved child accompanied her; and 
Miss Garth, Miss Vernon, Mrs. Harcourt, 



222 

and Mrs. Sander, with a few other ladies, formed 
her establishment. 

During her continuance at Charlton, the 
princess necessarily contracted debts, but they 
only amounted to £32,000, and were paid with 
cheerfulness and unanimity, out of the droits of 
the Admiralty. The Queen and princesses did not 
now, however, visit her. The King pursued a 
different line of conduct, and all ranks in the 
nation believed that he would not patronize his 
daughter-in-law, if her conduct had been marked 
by any flagrant act of impropriety. Whilst, 
therefore, the Queen and princesses abstained 
from her society, the King solemnly ratified his 
approval of her conduct, by visiting her, although 
this gave considerable offence to the Prince of 
Wales. 

The correspondents of the princess, at this 
time, increased in number — her child daily re- 
quired more notice and attention — her visitors, 
though few, frequently entered into long conver- 
sations and discussions — and these occupations, 
united to her studies and necessary avocations, 



223 

occupied the whole of her time. The Prince of 
Wales occasionally saw his daughter, though 
seldom — yet for her he cherished a sincere regard. 

The prince, during this period, lived in con- 
stant intimacy with Mrs. Fitzherbert; and the 
Countess of Jersey was seldom heard of in public, 
or in the newspapers. 

Having continued the narrative to this point, 
it becomes necessary to go back again to notice 
other transactions which have been passed over, 
in order not to interrupt the history of these 
unfortunate misunderstandings. 

After the commencement of that series of 
horrors which disgraced France, and filled Europe 
with indignation and alarm, the prince, for a long 
time, took no decisive part in political matters. 
The opposition party had become disunited among 
themselves, Mr. Burke having as it were broken 
it up, by the adoption of that system of the 
bitterest hostility to the French revolution, which 
he embodied and advocated with such over- 
powering energy in his most extraordinary work 
on that event— the prince himself had, in fact, 
abandoned the political principles of his friends 



224 

by his speech on the 3 1st of May, 1792, on a 
motion made by the Marquis of Abercorn, for an 
amendment to the address of the Commons, on 
His Majesty's proclamation against seditious 
meetings and writings. This speech is reported as 
follows, in the Senator, a collection of parliamen- 
tary debates, published at the time. " His Royal 
Highness the Prince of Wales came forward on 
this occasion, and, in a manly, eloquent, and, we 
may truly add, persuasive manner, delivered his 
sentiments. He said that, on a question of such 
magnitude, he should be deficient in his duty as 
a member of Parliament, unmindful of that respect 
he owed to the constitution, and inattentive to 
the welfare, the peace, and the happiness of the 
people, if he did not state to the world what was 
his opinion on the present question. His Royal 
Highness said he should detain their lordships 
but for a short time. The topic opened to their 
view they had already heard, and would again 
hear, much more ably discussed, than it could be 
by any efforts from him. He should not enter 
into a minute detail of the motion for the address ; 
he should endeavour to confine himself to a mere 



225 

expression of his sentiments on the principles of 
the constitution of this country ; a subject which, 
at a very early period of his life, he had contem- 
plated with pleasure, and which, to the end of it, 
he hoped would continue unimpaired. It was a 
constitution which had afforded protection to all 
ranks and classes, and he trusted it would con- 
tinue that advantage. His Royal Highness con- 
sidered the present proclamation as an interference 
of government highly necessary to the preser- 
vation of order, and the security of our most 
admirable constitution. ' Educated (said his 
Royal Highness) as I have been in its principles, 
conceiving it, as I do, to be the most sacred 
bequest from our ancestors, I hold it a duty 
incumbent upon myself, and every noble lord, to 
come forward, and support the proper measures 
for its defence.' The matter in issue was, in 
fact, whether the constitution was, or was not, to 
be maintained ; whether the wild ideas of theory 
were to conquer the wholesome maxims of estab- 
lished practice; and whether those laws under 
which we had flourished for such a series of years 
were to be subverted by a reform unsanctioned 

Q 



226 

by the people. As a person nearly and dearly 
interested in the welfare, and, he should empha- 
tically add, the happiness and comfort of the 
people, it would be treason to the principles of 
his mind, if he did not come forward and declare 
his disapprobation of those seditious publications 
which had occasioned the motion now before their 
lordships ; and his interest was connected with 
the interest of the people ; they were so insepa- 
rable, that unless both parties concurred, happi- 
ness could not exist. On this great, on this 
solid basis, he grounded the vote which he meant 
to give ; and that vote should unequivocally be 
for a concurrence with the Commons in the 
address they had resolved upon. His Royal 
Highness spoke in a manner that called not only 
for the attention, but the admiration of the House ; 
and these words were patriotically energetic — 
6 I exist by the love, the friendship, and the 
benevolence of the people, and their cause I will 
never forsake so long as I live.' His Royal 
Highness then concluded with distinctly saying, 
' I give niy most hearty assent to the motion for 
concurring in this wise and salutary address. ' 



227 

The political difference between the prince and 
that portion of his friends who remained in oppo- 
sition to the government, may be supposed to 
have been rather increased than otherwise by the 
memorable defection of the Duke of Portland, 
and others of the whigs, who, appalled at the 
excesses of the French revolution, joined the 
ranks of the minister. The prince, however, took 
no part in politics. 

After the Duke of York had been placed by 
His Majesty at the head of the army, a general 
promotion taking place, the Prince of Wales 
wrote a letter to his father, which he transmitted 
through the Duke his brother, urging his preten- 
sions to promotion in the army ; to which His 
Majesty replied, that before he had appointed 
the prince to the command of the 10th light 
dragoons, he had caused fully to be explained 
to him his sentiments respecting a Prince of 
Wales entering the army, and the public grounds 
on which he could never admit of the prince's 
considering it as a profession, or of his being 
promoted in the service. 

When Lord Thurlow gave up the great seal, he 

q2 



228 

became the confidential friend and adviser of the 
Prince of Wales at Brighton, where the ex-chan- 
cellor now mostly resided. 

It was much noticed that Lord Loughborough, 
who had been the prince's legal counsellor at the 
period when the appointment of the regency 
was debated, had become the keeper of the 
King's conscience, while his old antagonist was 
the chosen friend of the prince. Such are the 
shiftings in the political world. 

To the honor of Lord Thurlow it should be 
known, that he advised the prince to avoid 
taking any part in politics, and to make himself 
independent by a rigid economy. " By so 
doing," said he, "your Royal Highness will 
lose nominal friends, but you will gain the 
people." 

In 1796, the world was amused by the pre- 
tended discovery of a mass of papers bearing the 
name of Shakspeare. The noise which these 
relics made, excited the curiosity of the Prince 
of Wales to see them. Accordingly, Samuel 
Ireland, the possessor, waited upon his Royal 
Highness with the precious cargo of manuscripts. 



229 

Of this interview the younger Ireland gives the 
following account, in his confession of the 
forgery : — 

At Mr. Ireland's entrance, his Royal Highness, 
with his usual affability, rose to receive him ; and 
so completely divested himself of that dignity 
which he was entitled to assume, as to render 
Mr. Ireland as unrestrained in his manners, as if 
he had been in the company of his equals. 

On the production of the manuscripts, his 
Royal Highness began to inspect them with the 
strictest scrutiny, when, to Mr. Ireland's infinite 
astonishment, he not only questioned him on 
every point, with an acuteness which he had 
never before witnessed from the learned who had 
inspected the papers, but he also displayed 
a knowledge of antiquity and an intimate ac- 
quaintance with documents of the period of 
Elizabeth, which Mr. Ireland had conceived to 
be confined to those only that had made this 
particular subject the object of their study. 

Having examined the manuscripts, his Royal 
Highness said, " As far as the external appearance 
will witness for the validity of the documents, 



230 

they certainly bear a strong semblance of age ; 
to decide, however, peremptorily from this cur- 
sory inspection, would be unjustifiable; as in 
matters of this nature so much is to be said 
pro and con, that the decision requires mature 
reflection. I certainly, Mr. Ireland, must com- 
pliment you much upon the discovery; as the 
name of Shakspeare, and every thing appertaining 
to him, is not confined alone to the literary world, 
but to the English nation, to which the publica- 
tion will, I trust, afford that gratification which 
is expected to be derived from it." 

While Mr. Ireland was arranging the manu- 
scripts, the prince continued to deliver his 
remarks on the papers he had inspected: and 
wheresoever the smallest ground of objection was 
apparent to his mind, he requested an answer to his 
query, which was always put with ease, although 
a depth of penetration was apparent in the 
question, to which Ireland found it difficult to 
make an apt reply. 

Thus far Ireland's account goes; but the 
writer of this knows that in a discourse with 
Sheridan, the prince treated the imposture as it 



231 

deserved, and warned the manager of what would 
be the fate of Vortigerns, if he should be so 
weak as to bring it on the stage. One thing, the 
prince said, was clear; the manuscripts were too 
many to have been so long concealed above 
ground. 

In the year 1797, the royal family was deprived 
of one of its brightest ornaments, by the marriage 
of the Princess Royal, with his Serene Highness 
the hereditary Prince of Wirtemberg. There 
were many circumstances connected with this 
marriage, which rendered it a subject of peculiar 
interest. Not only the royal family, but the 
nation in general, were much attached to the 
Princess Royal, and to the regret at losing her 
were added very sincere misgivings with respect 
to the probability of happiness in this union; and 
the prince, whose first wife was the eldest daugh- 
ter of the Duke of Brunswick, had been nominally 
a widower nine years, but there was a mystery 
hanging over the fate of his wife, which required 
to be cleared up. She had been imprisoned by 
the Empress Catherine, in a castle 200 miles 
from St. Petersburg, where she died ; but many 



232 

persons believed that she was still living, and 
others accused the prince with having been a 
party to the cruel treatment that she had met 
with. These suspicions were doubtless ill-founded, 
but His Majesty was of course anxious to be 
perfectly satisfied on so important a point ; and 
having ascertained that the Princess of Wirtem- 
berg was certainly dead, he gave his consent to 
a marriage, to which both he and the Queen were 
said to have been very averse ; though the princess 
herself, as was reported, had lent a favorable ear 
to the prince's proposal. 

The prince, afterwards Duke, and King of 
Wirtemberg, was a man of a strong mind and 
superior abilities, but extremely despotic in his 
principles, and too often in his conduct. His laws 
respecting the rights of the chase, and the pre- 
servation of game, were rigorous in the extreme, 
and the punishments for the violation of them 
beyond measure severe, and even cruel. His own 
fondness for the chase was great, and he took 
great pleasure with unsportsman-like massacres 
of some thousands of animals of all descriptions, 
driven into a narrow space from a great extent of 



233 

country, where they might be killed without 
resistance, and without danger. A curious narra- 
tive of one of them was published in a German 
journal, of which the following is the substance. 
In the year 1813 or 1814, the Emperor Alexander 
being on a visit at Stuttgardt, the King resolved 
to give him the exhibition of a hunting party of a 
very novel description. Some thousand peasants 
were employed for three days, in beating the 
country for many miles in extent, driving the 
game of all sorts into a circle gradually narrower, 
till the animals retreating from their pursuers 
had no means of escape left, but into the wide 
gateway of a lawn standing on the borders of a 
lake. By the continual pressure in the rear, they 
were compelled to ascend the staircase of the 
tower, and finally to leap from the summit into 
the lake, giving the illustrious person who had 
the honor to be invited to this entertainment, an 
opportunity to shoot four-footed animals, such as 
deer, hares, &c. flying in the air. 

Most of the German princes having joined 
Napoleon in his war against Austria, were re- 



234 

warded by him with increase of territory and 
higher titles: thus the Electors of Bavaria and 
Saxony obtained the royal dignity, which it 
seems Napoleon did not at first intend to give 
to the Duke of Wirtemberg. Napoleon, however, 
passing through Stuttgardt, the Duke took the 
opportunity of asking him to give him the title of 
King, to which the Emperor at length assented. 
His objection seems to have been founded on the 
small extent of the new kingdom. 

The parting between the princess and the royal 
family was affecting in the extreme. Her own 
attendants, from whom she took leave in the 
kindest manner, were all in tears, and even many 
of the spectators who were assembled to see her 
depart, wept aloud when she stepped into the 
carriage, which was to bear her from her father's 
palace and from her native country. It is how- 
ever but just to add, that though she had no 
children, her husband appears to have behaved 
to her with all possible kindness and affection, 
and at his death, made a munificent provision for 
her. She was adored by her subjects, and the 



235 

present King of Wirtemberg, her husband's son 
by his first wife, always behaved to her with as 
much deference, respect and affection, ashe could 
have shewn had she been his own mother. 

It was in this same year that the gallant 
Kosciusko arrived in England, accompanied by 
many Polish officers going with him to America. 
He was in a deplorable state of weakness and 
suffering when he reached London, where he 
was received with great respect, and a handsome 
sword was voted him as a present by the Whig 
Club. 

This year, too, will be memorable on account 
of the formidable mutiny in the fleet ; on which 
occasion, the prince, overlooking all party dif- 
ferences, conducted himself in a manner which 
Mr. Moore proved, that whatever might be his 
opinions, he could, in the moment of peril, sink 
the partisan in the patriot. Yet though he sup- 
ported the ministry in their measures for sup- 
pressing a. rebellion which might have been the 
ruin of the country, he did not therefore desert 
Mr. Fox, and his other friends, who, wearied out 



236 

as they were with continual and fruitless opposi- 
tion to a ministry whose measures they thought 
brought ruin and disgrace on the country, with- 
drew in a body from both Houses of Parliament. 
This step, which was probably taken with a view 
to excite a sensation in the country, and impress 
on the minds of the people a sense of the danger 
of the nation, failed in producing such an effect. 
The seceding members were blamed for a dere- 
liction of their duty, and that part of the nation 
which was opposed to the ministers were much 
more satisfied with Mr. Tierney and Sir Francis 
Burdett, who remained at their posts. 

On the 8th of July died one of the prince's 
earliest friends, and one of the most extraordinary 
and highly-gifted men of his time, the celebrated 
Edmund Burke ; a man whose violence of temper 
in the assertion of his political opinions raised 
up against him a host of enemies, and drew upon 
him unbounded obloquy, but who will always be 
venerated as one of the most splendid geniuses of 
an age fertile in great men, and whose exemplary 
conduct in all the relations of private life, as a 



237 

husband, a father, and friend, whose unaffected 
piety, and unsullied purity of morals, as honor- 
ably distinguished him, as his transcendant 
talents. 

The unhappy consequences of the alienation 
between the Prince and Princess of Wales, were 
manifested, among other things, by the insults 
that were continually offered to the princess 
when travelling on the Greenwich road, on her 
way from Carlton House to Charlton. On the 
1st of August, her life was in imminent danger 
from the misconduct of two Greenwich coach- 
men, who, racing with each other, drove against 
her carriage, and nearly killed one of her servants ; 
and the coachmen being brought to Bow-street, 
one of them behaved w T ith great insolence ; and 
the princess's servant stated that her Royal 
Highness seldom travelled that road without 
being insulted, the coachmen often blocking up 
the road, and refusing to let her pass. As for the 
prince, he seems to have lived quite retired ; and 
His Majesty having resolved to go to St. Paul's, 
to return thanks to Divine Providence for the 
great naval victories gained by Lords Howe, St. 



238 

Vincent, and Duncan, we do not find that the 
Prince of Wales was present on the occasion, at 
least his name does not appear in the accounts 
published of this striking ceremony. 

While the most distinguished members of the 
opposition continued to refrain from attending 
their duties in Parliament, they seem to have 
thought it necessary to find other occasions to 
express, with a vehemence increased by the irri- 
tation of disappointment, the opinions and doc- 
trines which they had failed in impressing on the 
majority of the two Houses. On the 24th of 
January, 1798, there was a meeting of no less 
than two thousand persons, at the Crown and 
Anchor Tavern, to celebrate the birth-day of Mr. 
Fox ; the Duke of Norfolk was in the chair ; and 
after a prefatory speech of a very inflammatory 
nature, proposed the health of Mr. Fox, which 
was succeeded by several toasts, which, to say 
the least, were highly imprudent at a time when 
party spirit and political acrimony had ran to an 
alarming height. In returning thanks to the 
meeting for drinking his health, the noble duke 
said, " Allow me to call on you to drink our 



239 

sovereign's health, ' The majesty of the people/' 
In consequence of his conduct at this meeting, 
His Majesty very properly dismissed the Duke of 
Norfolk from the Lord Lieutenancy of the West 
Riding of Yorkshire, and the command of his regi- 
ment of militia. This salutary example was lost 
on Mr. Fox, who, at a meeting of the Whig Club 
in May following, gave as a toast, " The Sove- 
reignty of the people of Great Britain ;" for which 
His Majesty erased his name from the list of 
privy councillors. 

The year 1799 was distinguished by the pa- 
triotic spirit of the people in forming themselves 
into corps of volunteers for the defence of the 
country, in case of invasion by the enemy. On 
the King's birthday, the 4th of June, there was a 
grand review in Hyde Park of sixty-five corps of 
volunteers of London and the vicinity ; the whole 
amount of these patriotic corps, armed and clothed 
at their own expense, and serving without pay, 
was fifteen thousand men, of whom between eight 
and nine thousand were on the ground. It was a 
noble and heart elevating scene, and the King 
might well say, that it was the proudest day of 



240 

his life, when, as he rode along the ranks of these 
citizen-soldiers, attended by the Prince of Wales, 
the Dukes of York, Kent, Clarence, Cumberland, 
and Gloucester, he was received with the most 
enthusiastic acclamation by one hundred and fifty 
thousand of the inhabitants of the metropolis and vi- 
cinity, proud of their sovereign, proud of their sons, 
brethren, and husbands, who had thus voluntarily 
come forward to defend, if it should be necessary, 
the person of their King, and the independence of 
their country. On the 21st of the same month, 
His Majesty was pleased to honor the several 
volunteer corps in and about the metropolis with 
his royal inspection. In Finsbury-square, His 
Majesty was received by the Prince of Wales at 
the head of the Artillery Company, of which he 
was Captain-general ; the number of volunteers 
reviewed on this day was about twelve thousand. 
Both on this occasion and on the preceding, the 
Queen and the five princesses were present. On 
the 1st of August, the King went to Maidstone, to 
review the volunteer association of the county of 
Kent. A pavilion was erected in Lord Romney's 
grounds, for the royal family to dine, and tables 



241 

and benches were placed in sight of the pavilion 
for the volunteers. There were ninety-one tables, 
the whole length of which was seven miles and a 
half, capable of accommodating six thousand 
persons. On this occasion, too, the Prince of 
Wales and the royal dukes accompanied His 
Majesty ; there was a very brilliant review and 
sham-fight, which gave great satisfaction to the 
royal family, and to the crowd of spectators : 
among the company were a very great number of 
the nobility and gentry. When the volunteers, 
having finished their dinner, rose to drink His 
Majesty's health in a bumper, with three times 
three, followed by loud and reiterated acclama- 
tions from the company, and the music of all the 
bands, the effect was extremely grand. On all 
these occasions the public witnessed, with much 
satisfaction, the cordiality that appeared to sub- 
sist between the prince and the King his father. 

The prince's birth-day was celebrated this year 
at Windsor with considerable eclat. In the fore- 
noon there was a grand review in the great park 
of several regiments of light horse, that were on 
the point of proceeding to the coast, to embark 

R 



242 

on the celebrated expedition to Holland, under 
the command of the Duke of York, the bril- 
liant commencement of which served only to 
make the unfortunate issue the more lamented. 
A magnificent cold collation was given to the 
officers by His Majesty, for which some handsome 
tents, taken from Tippoo Saib, were set up in the 
garden of Cumberland Lodge, so as to form three 
sides of a quadrangle. In front of their Majesties' 
tent a stage was erected, on which tumblers and 
rope-dancers from Sadler's Wells exhibited their 
feats for the amusement of the Princess Charlotte, 
then in the fourth year of her age. How perfectly 
happy did the good King appear, surrounded by 
his family! and with what delight did he seem to 
contemplate the childish joy of his infant grand- 
daughter, who clapped her little hands at the 
antics of the tumblers ! Every appearance of ce- 
remony was banished ; the pressure of the crowd 
to get near to the low paling of the garden, often 
forced many of them, who stood next to it, to 
jump over, where they were suffered very quietly 
to remain* and as soon as the royal family rose, 
instead of being rudely ordered to withdraw, 



243 

they were politely asked into the tents to partake 
of the refreshments. 

To gratify the people, who had collected in 
considerable numbers near the house, her Royal 
Highness the Princess Elizabeth came to the 
open window, with the Princess Charlotte in her 
arms, and held her up to the crowd, who wel- 
comed her with acclamations. 

The year 1 800 was rendered memorable by the 
grand measure of the union of Ireland and Great 
Britain; on which, as the prince does not appear 
to have taken any part therein, it is unnecessary 
to dwell. 

On the 15th of May, this year, two attempts 
were made on the King's life; the first in the 
morning, while reviewing the Grenadier Guards 
in Hyde Park, when, during the firing, a ball 
cartridge was discharged, the ball of which se- 
verely wounded Mr. Ongley, a young gentleman 
in the Navy Office, who was standing within a 
few yards of the King; the second was in the 
evening, when the royal family being at Drury- 
lane Theatre, a pistol was fired at him just as he 
was entering his box, by a person in the pit. The 

u 2 



244 

King shewed extraordinary and admirable cool- 
ness on this occasion, and, far from betraying any 
symptom of fear or alarm, resolved to remain till 
the play was over. The assassin was seized on 
the spot, and conveyed to the music-room, where 
he was examined by the Prince of Wales, the 
Duke of York, Mr. Sheridan, and others. The 
Prince of Wales, in particular, evinced, on this 
occasion, the most anxious solicitude, and joy at 
the safety of the King. 

In 1800, the Prince of Wales directed the Rev. 
John Hayter, M. A. fellow of King's College, 
Cambridge, to goto Italy, and exert himself on 
the spot, under the permission of the King of 
Naples, to unroll and transcribe the Papyri dis- 
covered in the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii. 
On his arrival at Naples, he wrote a letter to his 
royal patron, in which he says, " The number of 
manuscripts saved is said to be about 500, but if 
I am rightly informed by those whose official 
situation must give them a competent knowledge 
of the subject, your Royal Highness, by facilitating 
the development of these volumes, will probably 
be the means of further excavation, and of res- 



245 

cuing from their interment an infinite quantity 
of others. About thirty years ago, His Sicilian 
Majesty ordered the development, the transcrip- 
tion, and the printing of those volumes which had 
then been saved. This operation was accordingly 
begun, and went on till the invasion of Naples by 
the French. But the mode was slow, being per- 
formed by a single person, with only one frame, 
under the direction of the Marquis del Vasto, 
chamberlain to the King, and president of the 
Royal Academy. The frame consists of several 
taper and oblong pieces of wood, with parallel 
threads of silk running on each side the whole 
length of each piece. When the frame is laid on 
any volume, each piece of wood must be fixed 
precisely over each line of the page, while the 
respective threads, being worked beneath each 
line, and assisted by the corresponding piece of 
wood above, raise the line upwards, and disclose 
the characters to view. 

" The operation seems ingenious, and well adapted 
to the purpose. It was, I believe, invented by a 
Capuchin at Naples. The fruits of it are said to 
be two publications only — one on music, by the 



246 

celebrated Philodemus, who was a cotemporary 
of Cicero, and the other on cookery. The first is 
in His Majesty's library, at the Queen's palace. 
Through the obliging politeness of Mr. Barnard, 
the King's librarian, I have had the advantage of 
perusing it. Indeed, I hope your Royal High- 
ness will not disapprove my acknowledging in this 
place, the very warm and respectful interest which 
both this gentleman, and the right honorable the 
president of the Royal Society, have expressed 
for the furtherance of your Royal Highness's 
great and good design. Meanwhile, by this spe^ 
cimen of Philodemus, I am convinced, that, if the 
frames should be multiplied to the proposed 
extent, several pages of thirty different manu- 
scripts might be disclosed and transcribed within 
the space of one week. But the very period at 
which the manuscripts were buried, serves to 
point out to your Royal Highness, that you may 
expect the recovery of either the whole, or, at 
least, parts of the best writers of antiquity, 
hitherto deemed irrecoverable. All of these, in 
truth, had been written before that period, if 
we except Tacitus, whose inestimable works 



247 

were unfortunately not composed till twenty 
years afterwards, during the reign of Trajan. 
Nor can it be imagined for a moment, that among 
five or six hundred manuscripts already excavated, 
and especially from the numberless ones which 
farther excavations may supply, lost at such 
a period in two of the most capital cities, in the 
richest, most frequented and most learned pro- 
vince of Italy, each of them an established seat of 
the arts and sciences, each of them the resort of 
the most distinguished Romans, not any part of 
those illustrious authors should be discovered. 
But the manuscript of Philodemus itself, makes 
the reverse of such an idea appear much more 
probable. To the moderns, who have 

' Untwisted all the chains that tie 
The hidden soul of harmony/ 

his treatise on music cannot indeed be supposed 
to communicate much information ; yet the sub- 
ject is scientific, and scientifically treated. The 
author himself, too, was one of the most eminent 
men in his time for wit, learning, and philosophy 
But in the rest of the arts and sciences, in history, 
in poetry, the discovery of any lost writer, either 



248 

in whole or in part, would be deemed a most 
valuable acquisition and treasure, and form a new 
era in literature. It is extremely fortunate that 
the characters of these manuscripts, whether they 
should be Greek or Latin, must be very obvious 
and legible. Before the year of our Lord 79, and 
some time after it, the Majusculae, or Unciales 
Literee, capital letters, were solely used. A page, 
therefore, in one of these manuscripts, would pre- 
sent to your Royal Highness an exact image of 
some mutilated inscription in these languages on 
an ancient column, statue, or sepulchre. There 
cannot remain a doubt, even omitting the assur- 
ances from men in official situations to that effect, 
that your Royal Highness's superintendent will 
receive every possible assistance from the Marquis 
del Vasto ; and in that case, it seems improbable 
that the object of this mission can be altogether 
fruitless. With such a termination of it, however, 
your Royal Highness, by having proposed to con- 
cur with His Sicilian Majesty in the quicker and 
more effectual development, transcription, and 
publication of three manuscripts, will reap the 
satisfaction of having made a most princely 



249 

attempt in behalf of knowledge and literature, on 
an occasion where their interests might be affected 
most materially, and in a manner of which no 
annals have afforded, or can hereafter afford, an 
example. Your very interposition will be your 
glory: your want of success will only make the 
learned world feel with gratitude what you would 
have done." 

The prince was encouraged to go on, and he 
incurred an immense expense to little benefit. 
Six rolls of manuscripts came to Carlton House ; 
but none of value, except a fragment of Epicurus. 

At the beginning of 1801, Mr. Pitt, after 
retaining his high office for nearly twenty years, 
resigned, and was succeeded, as prime minister, 
by Mr. Addington. This unexpected change was 
stated to have originated in the difference of 
opinion between the King and Mr. Pitt respect- 
ing Catholic emancipation, a measure to which 
the minister considered himself pledged by 
the act of union, and which he regarded as 
its indispensable complement. Whatever may 
have been his motives, the administration was 
completely changed, and negociations for peace, 



250 

which had been broken off the year before, were 
now renewed, and led to the conclusion of preli- 
minaries of peace between France and England, 
and in the sequel to the definitive treaty, which 
was signed at Amiens on the 25th of March, 1 802 ; 
but which proved to be no more than a hollow 
truce, which was ended in about a twelvemonth, 
by a renewal of hostilities with increased acri- 
mony on both sides. 

During the short interval of peace, men of all 
parties wished that the prince might be enabled, 
by the liberality of Parliament, to resume the 
state and dignity suitable to his birth. Mr. 
Manners Sutton, the prince's solicitor-general, 
made a motion for a committee to inquire into his 
Royal Highness's claim to the arrears of the 
Duchy of Cornwall during his minority ; but Mr. 
Addington, objecting to this, made the prince's 
legal advisers recommend him to present a peti- 
tion of rights to the Lord Chancellor, by which a 
legal decision on his claim might be obtained. 
The business was cut short in this stage by Mr. 
Addington, who, on the 15th of February, deli- 
vered a message from His Majesty, recommend- 



251 

ing to the House of Commons to take the affairs 
of the Prince into consideration. The Chancellor 
of the Exchequer proposed that the Prince should 
have £125,000 a year, besides the revenue of the 
Duchy of Cornwall, without disturbing the plan 
agreed to in 1795, for the payment of his debts, 
of which he stated £563,895 had been paid off up 
to the 5th of January, this year. The portion 
remaining to be paid was £235,754, including 
principal, interest, and charges of management. 

In consequence of this, the prince intimated his 
acquiescence in the determination of the House ; 
and added, that, with respect to the Duchy of 
Cornwall, he had resolved, out of duty to his 
father, to forego his claim, rather than prosecute it 
in a hostile manner; he, however, added, that 
there were still some demands on his honor and 
justice, for the discharge of which he must set 
apart a considerable sinking fund, and must there- 
fore postpone, till they were paid, the resumption 
of his state and dignity. 

Having, on different occasions, said so much of 
the prince's debts and embarrassments, it is but 
justice to him to quote, from the " Recollections 



252 

of Mr. John Nichols," the following remarks, 
which place the matter in a clear, and rather a 
new, light : — 

" When his Royal Highness came of age, an 
establishment was assigned to him, far beyond 
what could be supported by the very moderate 
income which was allowed him. This occasioned 
him to contract debts ; and when it became 
necessary that those debts should be discharged, 
very little care was shewn to protect the prince's 
character from disgrace. The courtiers were 
every where active in contrasting the regularity 
of the King's life with the indiscretions of the 
prince. On the establishment of the prince's 
household, every man must have seen that an 
expense was created which his income would not 
be able to discharge. Parental affection, and the 
political solicitude which the monarch in posses- 
sion ought to have for the character of his imme- 
diate successor, should both have attracted the 
King's attention. There was another circum- 
stance also, which ought not to have been over- 
looked. The Duchy of Cornwall was the prince's 
property, from the hour of his birth. When he 



253 

came of age, the prince was put in possession of 
the revenues of this Duchy. But the prince 
obtained no part of that revenue which had been 
received from the Duchy during his minority. A 
different treatment was shewn to the Duke of 
York. When he came of age, the whole revenue 
received from the bishoprick of Osnaburg, 
during his minority, was paid over to him. There 
was another circumstance respecting the Duchy 
of Cornwall, by which a still greater injury was 
done to the Prince of Wales. The King procured 
an act of Parliament to be passed, authorising 
him to grant leases of the prince's lands in Corn- 
wall, for ninety-nine years, determinable upon 
lives. For these leases, the King received fines 
during the prince's minority to the amount I 
believe of about £250,000. What a difference 
would it have made to the prince, if, when he 
came of age, estates in possession had been 
delivered up to him, instead of reversions expec- 
tant on leases for ninety-nine years, with small 
rents reserved! Even this sum of £250,000, 
received by the King for the leases which he 
granted, though obviously an inadequate com- 



254 

pensation, was not paid over to the prince. It 
may be said, perhaps, that the King received 
this power from Parliament. I admit it, but the 
Parliament had no right to grant this power. It 
was a gross breach of faith by the guardians of 
the prince's estates. I am justified in saying, 
that the Parliament is as much the guardian of 
the prince's estates, as it is of the demesnes of the 
crown. I am justified in saying this, by the con- 
duct of the House of Commons, in the reign of 
Henry IV. Richard II. had granted away many 
of the estates of the Duchy of Cornwall. The 
House of Commons took notice of this, and 
sent up a bill to the House of Lords, requesting 
their concurrence in a bill for the restoration of 
these lands to Prince Henry, afterwards King, 
under the name of Henry V. The House of 
Lords refused to concur ; but though they refused 
to concur with the Commons in the bill, the 
House of Lords addressed the King, to direct 
the law officers of the crown to commence suits 
against the possessors of these lands, on behalf of 
the prince. In the suit subsequently instituted 
in the reign of James I., by his son Prince Henry, 



255 

for lands, part of the Duchy of Cornwall, which 
had been improvidently granted away by Queen 
Elizabeth, though the proceedings were only in 
a court of law, the same doctrine seems to have 
been adopted — viz. that the estates of the Prince 
of Wales were as much under the protection of 
Parliament, as the demesnes of the crown. I am 
aware that it will be said, the Prince of Wales 
afterwards received compensation for his rights. 
He brought a suit against the King, by petition, 
and in 1803 received £220,000 for compromising 
his claims, a sum shamefully inadequate. But 
what would have been the different situation of 
the prince, if he had received even this sum in 
1783, when he came of age, instead of receiving 
it in 1803?" 

Some of the prince's friends finding that he 
would, even now, be unable to resume his state 
and dignity, wished the House to do some- 
thing more ; and some members proposed that 
£6000 a year, out of the income allotted to the 
prince, should be applied to the establishment of 
the Princess of Wales. The Chancellor of the 
Exchequer opposed the motion ; there was, he al- 



256 

lowed, but one sentiment throughout the House 
respecting the virtues of the Princess of Wales ; 
but he thought the proposal would seem to im- 
ply a doubt, which nobody could entertain, of the 
generosity of the prince. 

In this same year, 1803, the military prepara- 
tions of Napoleon indicating a design of invading 
England, the spirit of the people was roused in an 
extraordinary degree, which was encouraged by 
the proceedings in Parliament. Mr. Sheridan, in 
the House of Commons, and Earl Moira, in the 
Lords, described in glowing colours the power 
and ambition of Buonaparte; and as they were 
known to be the particular friends of the Prince 
of Wales, it was reasonably believed that their 
sentiments did not materially differ from those of 
his Royal Highness himself. As soon as hostili- 
ties were actually renewed, volunteer associations 
were formed with incredible rapidity throughout 
the country ; some of the ministers enrolled them- 
selves as privates: the Duke of Clarence com- 
manded a corps near Bushy, his speech to which, 
on its first assembling, deserves to be recorded 
for its manly and patriotic simplicity: — "My 



257 

friends and neighbours," said the duke, " where- 
ever our duty calls us, I will go with you, fight 
in your ranks, and never return without you/ 
On the 4th of December the Prince of Wales pre- 
sented a pair of colours to this corps, on which 
occasion he delivered a very animated address. 

Participating in the patriotic ardor of the na- 
tion, the Prince of Wales was extremely desirous 
of having a more distinguished station allotted to 
him than that of colonel of dragoons, and a most 
interesting correspondence on the subject took 
place between himself, Mr. Addington, the Duke 
of York, and His Majesty. The prince first ad- 
dressed a letter to Mr. Addington, on the 18th of 
July, 1803. In this he says, " I am aware I do 
not possess the experience of actual warfare ; at 
the same time I cannot regard myself as totally 
unqualified, or deficient in military science, since I 
have long made the service my particular study." 
Mr. Addington (Lord Sidmouth) did not even 
answer this letter, and on the 26th of July the 
prince again wrote to him, saying, " A week has 
now elapsed since the Prince of Wales transmitted 



258 

to Mr. Addington a letter on a subject of the 
highest importance. Though he cannot anticipate 
a refusal to so reasonable a demand, he must still 
express some surprise that a communication of 
such a nature should have remained so long un- 
answered. When the Prince of Wales desired to 
be placed in a situation which might enable him 
to shew to the people of England an example of 
zeal, fidelity, and devotion to his sovereign, he 
naturally thought he was only fulfilling his appro- 
priate duty, as the first subject of the realm, in 
which, as it has pleased Providence to cause him 
to be born, so he is determined to maintain himself 
by all those honorable exertions which the exi- 
gencies of these critical times peculiarly demand.'' 
The next day, Mr. Addington returned a brief 
reply, appreciating the prince's motives, and re- 
ferring to answers which the King had given to 
similar applications made by the prince in former 
years. The prince insisted that his letter of the 
26th of July should be laid before the King, and 
on the 1st of August Mr. Addington wrote a 
brief contemptuous letter to the prince, saying, 



259 

u that the King's opinion being fixed, His 
Majesty desired that no farther mention should 
be made to him upon the subject." 

On the 6th of August the prince addressed a 
long and very beautiful letter to the King, of 
which the following is an extract : — 

" I ask to be allowed to display the best ener- 
gies of my character, to shed the last drop of my 
blood in support of Your Majesty's person, crown, 
and dignity ; for this is not a war for empire, 
glory, or dominion, but for existence. In this 
contest, the lowest and humblest of Your 
Majesty's subjects have been called on: it would, 
therefore, little become me, who am the first, and 
who stand at the very footstool of the throne, 
to remain a tame, an idle, and a lifeless spectator 
of the mischiefs which threaten us, unconscious of 
the dangers which surround us, and indifferent to 
the consequences which may follow. Hanover is 
lost; England is menaced with invasion; Ireland 
is in rebellion ; Europe is at the foot of France. 
At such a moment, the Prince of Wales, yielding 
to none of your servants in zeal and devotion — to 
none of your subjects in duty — to none of your 

s 2 



260 

children in tenderness and affection — presumes 
to approach you, and again to repeat those offers 
which he has already made through Your Ma- 
jesty's ministers. A feeling of honest ambition, 
a sense of what I owe to myself and my family, 
and above all, the fear of sinking in the estimation 
of that gallant army, which may be the support 
of Your Majesty's crown, and my best hope here- 
after, command me to persevere, and to assure 
Your Majesty, with all humility and respect, that, 
conscious o|the justice of my claim, no human 
power can ever induce me to relinquish it. Allow 
me to say, Sir, that I am bound to adopt this line 
of conduct by every motive dear to me as a man, 
and sacred to me as a prince. Ought I not to 
come forward in a moment of unexampled diffi- 
culty and danger? Ought I not to share in the 
glory of victory, when I have every thing to lose 
by defeat? The highest places in Your Majesty's 
service are filled by the younger branches of the 
royal family ; to me alone no place is assigned ; I 
am not thought worthy to be even the junior 
major-general of your army. If I could submit 
in silence to such indignities, 1 should indeed de- 



261 

serve such treatment, and prove, to the satisfac- 
tion of your enemies and my own, that 1 am 
entirely incapable of those exertions which my 
birth and the circumstances of the times pecu- 
liarly call for. Standing so near the throne, when 
I am debased, the cause of royalty is wounded. 
I cannot sink in public opinion without the parti- 
cipation of Your Majesty in my degradation ; 
therefore, every motive of private feeling and 
public duty induces me to implore Your Majesty 
to review your decision, and to place me in that 
situation which my birth, the duties of my 
station, the example of my predecessors, and the 
expectations of the people of England, entitle me 
to claim." 

The next day the prince received the following 
answer: — 

y My dear Son, 

44 Though I applaud your zeal and spirit, 
in which I trust no one can suppose any of my 
family wanting, yet, considering the repeated 
declarations I have made of my determination on 
your former applications to the same purpose, I 



262 

had flattered myself to have heard no farther on 
the subject. Should the implacable enemy suc- 
ceed so far as to land, you will have an opportu- 
nity of showing your zeal at the head of your 
regiment. It will be the duty of every man to 
stand forward on such an occasion, and I shall 
certainly think it mine to set an example, in de- 
fence of every thing that is dear to me and to my 
people. 

" I ever remain, 

" My dear Son, 
" Your most affectionate father, 

" George R." 

On the 23rd of August, the prince sent a most 
beautiful, admirable, and, it may be said, un- 
answerable reply to this letter, which seems to 
have closed the correspondence with the King. 
On the 2nd of October he wrote to the Duke of 
York, complaining that he had been wholly over- 
looked in the very extensive military promotions 
which had appeared in the preceding day's Ga- 
zette. The duke replied at great length, merely 
urging the King's unalterable resolution that the 



263 

heir-apparent should not make the army his pro- 
fession, or receive any higher rank than that of 
colonel. A very long correspondence took place 
between the royal brothers. The prince's letters 
were admirably written, and the arguments al- 
leged in them were, in truth, unanswerable; but 
the King, who had undoubtedly the right to refuse 
his assent to the prince's wishes, had formed an 
opinion of his own on the subject, which nothing 
could remove. As for the correspondence, it is 
highly probable that the public would have known 
nothing of the transaction, but have been left to 
imagine that his Royal Highness was remiss in 
the moment when the country was menaced with 
invasion, had not a conversation taken place in 
the House of Commons, on the 2nd of August, 
when Colonel (since General) Craufurd moved for 
a committee on measures relative to the defence 
of the country. Strangers were indeed excluded 
during the debate: an account, evidently from 
authority, was published the following morning, 
by which it appears that some members having 
directly alluded to the Prince of Wales, Mr. 
Tyrwhitt, one of his Royal Highness's household, 



264 

declared that the prince had, from the beginning 
of the war, wished to be employed in any service 
His Majesty might call him to; that such wish 
had been made known to the ministers, and that 
if his services had been rejected, he (Mr. T.) had 
proof that the fault did not lie at his door. 

Several members, and in particular Mr. Fox, 
(who had returned to his post,) having pressed the 
minister to state why the services of the heir- 
apparent had been declined, the Chancellor of 
the Exchequer, doing justice to the feelings of 
the prince, declared that nothing less than the 
commands of the King, and the united authority 
of the House, should in future compel him to say 
a word more on the subject. This conversation, 
however, led to the publication of the whole 
correspondence, in which the prince has so mani- 
festly the advantage, that the people of England 
were satisfied, and did full justice to his spirited 
and patriotic conduct at that important crisis. 

It was at this period that the prince requested 
of Lord Moira, that upon the first notice of the 
enemy's landing, the Earl would hasten to place 
himself by the side of his Royal Highness, that 



265 

they might face the foe together ; unless, in the 
interval, his lordship should be ordered upon 
immediate service. In consequence of this ap- 
plication, the Earl declined taking the command 
of the Leicestershire Yeomanry Cavalry. 

On the 17th of November, this year, the prince 
lost an old and favorite servant, John Willett 
Payne, admiral of the red, treasurer of Green- 
wich Hospital, warden of the Stannaries, and 
auditor-general to his Royal Highness. The 
prince used to call him " honest Jack Payne," 
and had his picture painted for the principal 
room in Carlton House. 

Jack was a bon vivant, but a worthy character. 
He took an active concern in his master's interests 
during the King's illness in 1788.* 

His remains were interred in St. Margaret's 
Church, Westminster, the prince being repre- 
sented at the funeral by General Hulse, who went 
in his Royal Highness's coach and six ; two of the 
royal footmen were behind in state liveries ; two 
of the prince's grooms preceded, and three followed 

* See Moore's Life of Sheridan. 



266 

the hearse. Dr. Stanier Clarke, the librarian 
and chaplain, read the service. 

In November, the Prince of Wales gave a 
grand entertainment to that remarkable character, 
the celebrated Elfi Bey, chief of the Mamelukes, 
and a number of other distinguished visitors. The 
conversation turning on the skill of the Turks and 
Mamelukes in equestrian exercises, the prince 
said, H. I have now in my stud an Egyptian horse, so 
wild and ungovernable, that he will dismount the 
best horseman in the Bey's retinue." The Bey 
replied in Italian, " I shall gratify your Royal 
Highness's curiosity to-morrow." An appoint- 
ment was made for the next day, at the prince's 
riding house, whither the Bey came with his 
interpreter, and Mahomet Aga, his principal 
officer, where the prince and his royal brothers, 
with several noblemen, were waiting to see the 
management of the horse, which nobody had yet 
been able to ride. A Mameluke saddle having 
been fixed by the grooms, the animal was led 
into the riding house, but appeared so ungovern- 
able, that the gentlemen present concluded that 
nobody would attempt to mount him. The horse 



267 

is described as a model of beauty; he was spotted 
like a leopard, and his eyes so fiery, that it 
seemed dangerous to approach him. Being led 
round the boundary, Mahomet made a spring, 
seized the reins, and vaulted on the back of the 
animal, which, enraged at a burden it had never 
before felt, and goaded by the tightness of the 
Egyptian saddle, made the most desperate efforts 
to throw his rider, who, to the utter astonishment 
of the prince, and every other beholder, kept his 
seat for twenty minutes, at the end of which 
time, the ferocity of the animal was subdued. 
The prince was highly gratified ; and highly com- 
plimented the officer on his skill and courage. 
Elfi Bey and his retinue, after partaking of some 
refreshment at Carlton House, departed not a 
little proud of this victory. 

In 1804, a strong altercation took place between 
the King and the Prince of Wales, respecting the 
education of the Princess Charlotte. The prince 
insisted that the mother was an improper com- 
panion for the daughter, and resolved that she 
should be confided to his sole management. The 
King, on the contrary, maintained that the Prince 



268 

of Wales was an improper person to have the 
charge of his own child, and insisted upon the 
right of the mother. The prince remonstrated, 
and pronounced the line the King had taken to 
be an insult upon him. His Majesty was firm, 
and became himself the guardian of the child. 

The difference that had unhappily arisen, was, 
however, amicably adjusted, and on the 12th of 
November, an interview between the King and 
the prince took place at Kew Palace, the Queen 
and the princesses being present. The meeting 
after a long interval, was extremely affecting, 
marked by every emotion of kindness and con- 
ciliation on the one part, and of filial respect on 
the other. After an hour's conference, HisMajesty, 
accompanied by the Duke of Cumberland, 
returned to Windsor, and the Prince of Wales, 
with the Dukes of Kent and Sussex, to Carlton 
House, where the Duke of Rutland, Earl Moira, 
Mr. Sheridan, and others, were ready to receive 
him ; and an express was sent to Woburn, to fetch 
Mr. Fox, to have an audience with the prince on 
this happy occasion. 

The King, however, had still some misgivings, 



269 

as appears from the following letter to the 
Princess of Wales, to whom he continued to shew 
every mark of affection. In 1800, he had pre- 
sented her with the rangership of Greenwich 
Park, and induced her to live at Montague House, 
Blackheath. 

" Windsor Castle, Nov. 13, 1804. 

" My Dearest Daughter-in-law and Niece, 

" Yesterday, I and the rest of the family 
had an interview with the Prince of Wales, at 
Kew. Care was taken on all sides to avoid all 
subjects of altercation or explanation, conse- 
quently, the conversation was neither instructive 
nor entertaining; but it leaves the Prince of 
Wales in a situation to shew whether his desire 
to return to his family is only verbal or real, 
which time alone can prove. I am not idle in 
my endeavours to make inquiries that may enable 
me to communicate some plan for the advantage 
of the dear child. You and I, with so much 
reason, must interest ourselves ; and its effecting 
my having the happiness of living more with you, 
is no small incentive to my forming some ideas 



270 

on the subject, but you may depend on their not 
being decided upon without your thorough and 
cordial concurrence ; for your authority as a 
mother, it is my object to support. 
" Believe me, at all times, 
" My dearest daughter-in-law and niece, 
*' Your most affectionate 
" Father-in-law and uncle, 

" George R." 

The promise contained in the latter part of this 
letter, the King punctually fulfilled, and all the 
subsequent arrangements which were made rela- 
tive to the Princess Charlotte, whilst His Majesty 
remained capable of exercising his authority, 
were never entered into, without a previous refer- 
ence to the Princess of Wales. 

Two days afterwards, Lord Moira had the 
honor of an audience of the King ; the gracious 
reception which he met with from their Majesties, 
and every branch of the royal family, proved 
the sensible impression which his noble and deli- 
cate conduct in the whole progress of the recon- 
ciliation had made on their minds. 



271 

The year 1806 was fatally distinguished by 
the death of the two greatest statesmen of our 
times, W. Pitt and C. J. Fox. William Pitt, who 
had returned to the administration after the 
renewal of the war with France, " was not long- 
in discovering that place does not always imply 
power, and that in separating himself from the 
other able men of the day, he had but created 
an opposition as much too strong for the govern- 
ment, as the government was too weak for the 
country. The powerful coalition opposed to him, 
had already a prospect of carrying by storm 
the post which he occupied, when, by his death, 
it was surrendered without parley into their 
hands."* 

To trace the character of this extraordinary 
man with justice and impartiality, is a task 
requiring in him who should attempt it, qualifica- 
tions of the highest order, but which fortunately 
it is not here necessary to perform. Even now, 
a quarter of a century after his decease, we see 
opinion still divided respecting his merits as a 

* Moore's Life of Sheridan. 



272 

public man, some considering him as the saviour 
of the country in a time of unexampled peril, and 
others stigmatising him as the most pernicious 
minister that ever directed its affairs for so long 
a period, and as having by his rashness brought 
the vessel of the state into the storm which he 
was said to have weathered. But it is far easier 
to criticise measures that have been tried, than to 
conceive and to execute in a moment of imminent 
danger, such as may prove the most salutary. Nor 
can those who censure him even now be certain, 
that a different line of general policy would have 
produced more beneficial results. Who shall 
affirm that acquiescence or forbearance would 
have conciliated the good-will of the blood-stained 
demon of revolution, or have obtained for this 
kingdom any greater favor than that of being the 
last devoured? True it is, the struggle cost us 
countless treasures, and oceans of the noblest 
blood of Britain. But the best energies of the 
nation were called into action, and a spirit of 
patriotism kindled, the beneficial influence of 
which will endure, long after the sacrifices which 
it required shall be forgotten. If Pitt erred, the 



273 

nation, which approved his measures, erred with 
him ; and posterity will decide that he who, 
entering on public life as a youth, could proudly 
resolve not to stand in a secondary place, but 
to adopt for his motto " Aut Ccesar aut nihil;" 
who, in spite of the host of talent opposed to 
him, could yet maintain himself in his exalted 
position for so long a period, and that though 
success did not crown his efforts; must have had 
an extraordinary hold on the minds of his coun- 
trymen. He had, it must be owned, the advan- 
tage of inheriting a name bright in the annals of 
his country's glory; his youth was undoubtedly 
favorable to him at the commencement of his 
career, and his disregard, if not contempt, of 
wealth and honors, proved that his ambition, 
if lofty, was not selfish ; while the austere and 
unsullied purity of his private life was contrasted 
with the very different habits of his highly-gifted 
political opponents. Yet even they did justice 
to his motives, while they deprecated his system. 
Friends and enemies have united in lamenting 
that he did not live to see the salvation of his 
country accomplished, but that his last moments 



274 

were embittered by the thought of leaving it 
engaged in that tremendous struggle, the issue of 
which was veiled in impenetrable gloom : less 
happy in this than his disciple and his friend, 
who lived to see that march to Paris, which had 
been ridiculed as more Quixotic than all the reve- 
ries of the Knight of La Mancha, twice accom- 
plished, in one short twelvemonth, under his own 
administration. 

The administration which immediately suc- 
ceeded that of Mr. Pitt, under the auspices of 
Lord Grenville and Mr. Fox, was compounded of 
ingredients much too anomalous to acquire the 
confidence of the nation, or to effect any great 
measure, in the brief space of its existence, which 
was terminated by the death of its illustrious 
head, Charles James Fox ; on whom indeed the 
whole burden of the government had fallen, when 
his age and bodily infirmities rendered him 
unequal to such a task. The last political act of 
his long and noble career was a motion for the 
abolition of the slave trade : an appropriate con- 
clusion of those labours, which had been devoted 
to the assertion and defence of the dearest rights 



275 

of humanity and justice. If the consciousness of 
rectitude, added to the bitterness of disappoint- 
ment, may have sometimes carried him in the 
warmth of debate farther than his friends, or even 
himself on reflection, would have considered as 
justifiable, no reproach will now be cast upon his 
memory for such errors of reasoning, which had 
no influence beyond the moment of their utterance ; 
while the recorded wisdom of his clear and com- 
prehensive mind remains, the imperishable trea- 
sure of the statesman, the patriot, and the philan- 
thropist. And if in the review of his life we are 
bound to acknowledge that his example, with that 
of his other distinguished friends, sometimes 
misled the youthful steps of our late lamented 
sovereign into the devious paths of delusive plea- 
sure, yet we must own, that the gratitude of the 
nation and of Europe is due to him and them, 
for having sown in the mind of the prince, the 
seeds of those generous principles of internal 
government and of foreign policy, liberal, not 
weak, firm, but not arbitrary, which presided 
over the brilliant course of his glorious reign, 
which rendered him beloved at home, and 

t2 



276 

respected abroad, the father of his people, and 
the arbiter of the destinies of the civilised world. 

It is pleasing to reflect, that the differences 
which had subsisted between the Prince of Wales 
and his early friend were all done away with, 
and perfect cordiality restored before the death 
of Mr. Fox. When that great statesman, whose 
complaint was dropsy, underwent the operation 
of tapping, the prince came up from Brighton to 
see him. Fox rallied, and seemed delighted for 
a time, which gave pleasure to the prince, who 
expressed a hope that he would recover. " No," 
was the reply, " if the water is let out by one 
vent, it will only be to make room for more/' 
They never saw each other again. One of the 
last sayings of Mr. Fox was a question to Lord 
Holland, "whether he believed in a future state." 

In the same year, 1806, rumours injurious to 
the character of the Princess of Wales having 
been circulated, were communicated to the Prince 
by the Dukes of Sussex and Kent; on which his 
Royal Highness, took the advice of Lord Thur- 
low, and laid the case before the King. On the 
2i*thof May, 1806, His Majesty appointed Lords 



277 

Erskine, Grenville, Spencer, and Ellenborough, 
to inquire into and examine all the charges ; the 
principal of which was, that a child, whom the 
princess had adopted, and was bringing up, was 
not the offspring of a poor woman, named Austin, as 
alleged, but the princess's own ; on which ground 
she was accused, by Sir John Douglas and his 
lady, of criminal conduct with Sir Sydney Smith. 
It would be wholly superfluous to enter into the 
disgusting details of these proceedings, which 
were known by the very inappropriate name of 
the " Delicate Investigation." 

On the 14th of July, the commissioners made 
their report to the King, fully acquitting the 
princess of criminality, but fixing on her the 
charge of levity of conduct with Captain Manby 
and Sir Thomas Lawrence. This led to further 
proceedings, exculpatory of these two gentlemen; 
and on the 28th of January, 1807, the King wrote 
to her, stating that her character had been cleared, 
that he had ordered her accuser, Lady Douglas, 
to be indicted for perjury, and that he was again 
willing to receive and countenance the princess, 
hoping that her conduct in future might be more 



278 

cautious and discreet. On the 10th of February, 
however, His Majesty again wrote to her, stating, 
that the Prince of Wales had thought proper to 
lay the whole proceedings before his law officers, 
and until they had made their report, His 
Majesty could not receive her. After a long 
correspondence between the King and the princess, 
a minute of council was made on the 22nd of 
April, 1807, fully exculpating her from all the 
charges ; and she was publicly received at court, 
and had state apartments allotted to her at Ken- 
sington Palace. Her reception at court was on 
the birthday ; and it is remarkable, that as she 
passed to and from the drawing-room, through 
the different chambers, she was received with a 
clapping of hands — a most extraordinary display 
of feeling for such a place. The princess now lived 
a life of great seclusion. She was still unnoticed 
by any of the royal family except the King; a 
separate establishment was formed by his Royal 
Highness for the Princess Charlotte, at Shrews- 
bury House, Blackheath ; and the prosecution of 
Sir John and Lady Douglas, for perjury, was 
dropped. 



279 

The conclusion of the year 1806, and the com- 
mencement of 1807, were marked by a series of 
events on the continent of Europe, following 
each other in rapid succession, and fearfully aug- 
menting the formidable power of Napoleon. The 
battle of Jena, the entire conquest of Prussia, 
the defeat of the Russian armies, the meeting of 
the Emperors Alexander and Napoleon at Tilsit, 
and the extraordinary consequences that it pro- 
duced; the celebrated decrees of Berlin and 
Milan, designed for the annihilation of British 
commerce; the seizure of His Majesty's German 
dominions, and of those of the Duke of Brunswick, 
mortally wounded in the battle of Jena; belong to 
the history of the reign of George III. In conse- 
quence of these events, His Majesty's sister, the 
Duchess Dowager of Brunswick, took refuge in 
England, where she was received with the greatest 
respect and affection by all the royal family. She 
arrived at Gravesend on the 7th of July, where, 
previous to her landing, she had an affecting inter- 
view with the Princess of Wales, her daughter, 
whom she accompanied to Blackheath, and 
was there visited by the Duchess of York, the 



280 

Princess Charlotte, and the King. On the 13th ? 
the Duchess and the Princess of Wales paid 
a visit to the Queen and princesses, at Bucking- 
ham House, where they were received with much 
state and ceremony. 

The public events of this period, not imme- 
diately belonging to the subject of this work, are, 
of course, passed over. It may, however, be worth 
while to mention an anecdote not generally 
known — that when the news of Admiral Duck- 
worth's having passed the Dardanelles, and ap- 
peared before Constantinople, reached Hamburgh, 
a very long letter, dated from Constantinople, was 
published the following day in the Hamburg Cor res- 
pondent. It gave a minute detail of the defensive 
measures adopted by the Turks, enumerated the 
batteries erected at different points, the number 
of guns in each, and a variety of particulars which 
shewed the local knowledge of the writer. Not 
a line of this letter, however, was written at 
Constantinople, but the whole was dictated by 
Marshal Brune, at that time governor of Ham- 
burgh, to his secretary, on the night after the news 
had arrived. Marshal Brune having been ambas- 



281 

sador at Constantinople, was able to give to this 
pretended despatch all the semblance of truth. 

Though, as has already been observed, the 
narrative of military occurrences, especially those 
in which the arms of Britain were not engaged, 
does not lie within the scope of this work, it must 
not be omitted, that the year 1808 was distin- 
guished by the commencement of those glorious 
events in Spain, which led to the most important 
results, and by giving the first check to that tide 
of success that had hitherto marked the career 
of Napoleon, led in the end to the final overthrow 
of his power, and to the emancipation of Europe, 
from the yoke under which it had so long groaned. 

The notion that Buonaparte was too much en- 
gaged in Spain to turn his arms with much effect 
to any other quarter, did indeed tempt Austria 
prematurely to risk, in 1809, another attempt to 
rescue herself and the rest of Germany from his 
power — an attempt which ended in the total dis- 
comfiture of the Emperor, and the disgrace of unit- 
ing an Austrian princess to the conqueror, whose 
faithful consort, Josephine, was divorced in order 
to make room for her successor. In this year too, 



282 

an expedition undertaken by England to Holland, 
in order to make a diversion in favor of Austria, 
produced in its final result only calamity and 
disgrace, though it had commenced with victory 
and conquest; while in Spain, the calamitous 
retreat of the gallant Sir John Moore shed a gloom 
on our prospects in that quarter ; so that at the 
close of the year 1809, Europe seemed to be more 
than ever at the foot of Napoleon, and all hope 
appeared to be for ever extinguished, that Louis 
XVIII. who arrived in England in 1S07, with 
the heroic Duchess of Angouleme, would ever be 
restored to the throne of his ancestors. 

After the signing of the deed of separation in 
1809, as above stated, the prince lived a life of 
comparative retirement, and his chief amusements 
seem to have been the building of his palace a* 
Brighton, and the adorning of his residence in 
town. He was seldom seen in public; Mrs. 
Fitzherbert had her house on the Steyne at 
Brighton, and the Princess of Wales resided at 
Blackheath, or Kensington ; the King continuing 
to act as guardian of the Princess Charlotte, who 
resided at Warwick House, Pall Mall. His Royal 



283 

Highness was, however, soon to be called again 
into public life, by the recurrence of the unhappy 
malady by which his august father had been before 
afflicted. In 1810, His Majesty exhibited the 
most distressing symptoms of mental aberration, 
to which were superadded loss of sight, and the 
infirmities of age. 

On Thursday, the 25th of October, 1810, the 
gentleman whose duty it was to be near the King, 
thought it incumbent on him to communicate to 
Mr. Perceval, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 
that a very alarming alteration had suddenly taken 
place in the speech and conduct of the sovereign. 
On the ensuing day, the symptoms were greatly 
increased, and, on the next day, the physicians 
were examined before the privy council, when 
they gave it as their opinion, that His Majesty 
was in a confirmed state of lunacy, but that his 
speedy recovery might be expected. So rapid 
and unexpected had been the disorder, that the 
sign manual could not be obtained for the farther 
prorogation of Parliament. The Houses there- 
fore met, and adjourned from time to time in 
hopes of the King's recovery. In this hope his 



284 

Royal Highness the Prince of Wales expressed 
his confidence, and he was induced to declare, 
that in accepting the reins of government, he 
should not make any political deviation from the 
system of his parent. A restricted Regency Bill 
was passed on the plan of that of 1788, although, 
on Mr. Lambe's motion to invest the prince with 
the powers of government without restrictions, 
the division was 224 to 200. 

The ceremonial of the Regency took place at 
Carlton House, on the 5th of February, 1811, 
with great pomp. On the 12th, his Royal High- 
ness communicated to Mr. Perceval his resolution 
not to remove any of his father's official servants, 
and the next day he repaired to Windsor, where, 
in a lucid interval of two hours, a most affecting 
scene took place between the parent and the son. 
Strong hopes were entertained of a recovery, 
until the latter end of 1811, when the official 
reports of the physicians were of a totally dif- 
ferent nature, and the Prince Regent avowed, 
that he no longer expected his royal father's 
restoration to sanity. On this occasion it was 
expected that his Royal Highness would have 



285 

formed an administration upon those political 
principles to which he had adhered with uniform 
consistency, from his first entrance into public 
life. The prince, however, had laid it down as 
a rule to himself, especially while holding the 
reins of government with restricted power, to 
act in every particular as he presumed the King 
would have acted, had he been at the head of 
affairs. This delicacy of feeling was the chief 
cause of his making, at this period, no change in 
the administration. 

During this period, affairs in Spain were going 
on with great success, and an important victory 
was gained in March, 181 1, at Barrosa, near Cadiz. 
On this occasion the prince wrote to general Sir 
Thomas Graham, now Lord Lynedoch, a compli- 
mentary letter on the subject, assuring him of his 
high estimation for bis character, and of his 
regret, that the restrictions which the two Houses 
had put upon the regency, prevented him for a 
time from conferring upon the general and his 
officers, such marks of his approbation as might 
best prove his gratitude. His Royal Highness, 
added, he was sure that in bestowing such a 



286 

testimony of his favor, he should only speak the 
sentiments of the nation at large. In conclusion, 
his Royal Highness said, that if it should be the 
will of Providence to re-establish the health of 
His Majesty, he was confident it would be the 
first act of the sovereignty, to distinguish the 
eminent and glorious services of the general and 
his gallant army, by some signal token of favor ; 
and if it should devolve on himself to discharge 
this pleasant duty, in the name and on the behalf 
of His Majesty, it would be to him the happiest 
part of the functions he had to fulfil. 

The calamity which deprived the fashionable 
world of the annual celebration of His Majesty's 
birthday at St. James's, induced the Prince 
Regjent to substitute for it an entertainment which 
should exceed in brilliancy all f£tes of a similar 
description that had been given for many years. 
This grand entertainment took place on the 19th 
of June, 1811, and afforded a striking proof of the 
splendid taste and hospitality which so eminently 
characterised our late most gracious sovereign. 
The following account, which seems to have been 
issued by authority, will be read with interest 



287 

even now, and with a sigh of regret, perhaps, that 
the splendid mansion which was the scene of 
this elegant f&te, has been now levelled with the 
ground, to make way for a new creation. 

" Cards of invitation had been long before issued 
to upwards of two thousand of the nobility and 
gentry of the country, the foreign ambassadors, 
the French princes and nobility, and other dis- 
tinguished foreigners. The doors of Carlton 
House, and the other avenues of admission, were 
opened at nine o'clock to the company. Those 
who went in carriages were admitted under the 
grand portico; those in sedans at a private 
entrance at the east end of the colonnade. The 
ministers and household of the regent entered at 
the west door of the palace, in the inner court- 
yard. The state-rooms on the principal floor 
were thrown open for the reception of the com- 
pany, wherein the furniture was displayed in all 
its varied magnificence. You descended the great 
staircase from the inner hall to the range of apart- 
ments on the level of the garden. The whole of 
this long range, comprehending the library, and 
the beautiful conservatory at the west end, with 



288 

the intervening apartments, was allotted to the 
supper- tables of the Prince Regent, the royal 
dukes, the chief of the nobility, and the most 
illustrious of the foreign visitors. 

" It was totally impossible, capacious as the 
mansion of the prince was, to accommodate such 
a number of persons in the rooms of the mansion 
itself. From the central apartment of the lower 
range, which we have mentioned, on the south 
or garden-front, proceeded a broad and lofty 
walk, towards the southern wall of the garden, 
adjoining St. James's Park, which was crossed 
by three similar walks, from east to west, lengths 
wise in the garden. All these walks were closed 
in by walls, and covered over by awnings made 
for the occasion. In each of these cross-walks 
were placed long supper-tables, and at the end 
of each walk were communications to circular 
marquees, in which were tables containing all the 
necessary refreshments for the company, with 
space for the numerous servants and assistants in 
attendance. The great walk from the house 
southward had in it six tables, leaving those 
spaces quite open where the other walks crossed 



289 

it. The intermediate spaces between these were 
lawns, which communicated to the walks by 
suitable openings. The interior sides of the 
walls of all these grand walks were lined with 
festoons of flowers, yielding the most odoriferous 
perfumes, and relieved by the verdant and softer 
beauties that more towering plants and shrubs 
could bestow. The arched roofs were orna- 
mented in the liveliest manner, and from them 
were suspended thousands of lights, in all the 
different forms and fashions by which illumination 
can be produced. The coup-cTczil of the whole, 
especially from the central south entrance to the 
garden, was inexpressibly delightful, and even 
magically impressive. The entrance was under 
an illuminated arch, and the southern end of the 
walk was filled by an immense mirror, and 
ornamented at the top and sides with a superb 
drapery, and with artificial flowers and costly 
candelabras : particularly the long range of sup- 
per-rooms on the garden level, at the head of 
which the regent sat, at the west end of the 
conservatory, inspired the highest ideas of regal 
magnificence. This range, beginning from the 

u 



290 

east end, comprises the new Gothic rooms, not 
yet entirely finished, but temporarily hung with 
crimson, and the library beautifully ornamented 
with marbles. In these apartments there were 
two rows of tables, elegantly adorned. The 
centre room was left open. To the west, the 
eating room, &c. and the conservatory, had one 
long table running through both. The appearance 
of the conservatory was truly striking and bril- 
liant. The architecture of it is of the most 
delicate Gothic. The upper end was a kind of 
circular boufet, surmounted by a medallion, with 
the initials G. P. R. lined by festoons and antique 
draperies of pink and silver, and partly filled by 
mirrors, before which, on ornamented shelves, 
stood a variety of vases, candlesticks, &c. of the 
most gorgeous gold plate. Supplied, as indeed 
all the tables were, with every attainable delicacy 
and luxury, which wealth and rank could com- 
mand, or ingenuity could suggest, and embel- 
lished by all the art and skill of the confectioner, 
with emblematical devices of every conceivable 
appropriate description, this table displayed a 
still more splendid exuberance. In the front of 



291 

the regent's seat, there was a circular bason of 
water, with an enriched temple in the centre of 
it, from whence there was a meandering stream 
to the bottom of the table, bordered with green 
banks. Three or four fantastic bridges were 
thrown over it, one of them with a small tower 
upon it, which gave the little stream a picturesque 
appearance. It contained also a number of gold 
and silver fish. The excellence of design, and 
exquisiteness of workmanship, could not be 
exceeded : it exhibited a grandeur beyond 
description; while the many and various pur- 
poses for which gold and silver materials were 
used, were equally beautiful and superb in all 
their minute details, The surprising lustre thrown 
upon the whole by the brilliancy of the illumi- 
nation, seemed to realise all that fancy has 
feigned of the magnificent wonders of oriental 
creation. 

"The company, who continued to arrive from 
nine till half-past twelve, were ushered into the 
state-rooms, and soon filled the house. The hall 
was crowded with peers and peeresses, and was 
made the same use of as the apartments of state. 

u 2 



292 

Under the grand arched door-way between the 
halls, was a most elegant scarlet and gold dra- 
pery, after the antique. 

" The male part of the nobility and gentry were 
habited in court suits, many richly embroidered, 
or in military and naval uniforms. The waving 
plumage — the elegant variegated dresses— the 
sparkling diamonds — and, still more, the native 
beauty and grace of the ladies, gave a sort of 
enchanting perfection to the whole of this brilliant 
courtly exhibition. La vielle Cour de Versailles, 
with all its proud pretensions, could never have 
more attractively set forth the elegant fascinations 
of fashionable life and exalted rank. 

"The upper servants of his Royal Highness's 
household wore a rich costume of dark blue, 
trimmed with very broad gold lace : the others 
wore their state liveries. A considerable number 
of the yeomen of the guard attended in different 
parts. The assistants out of livery were dressed 
uniformly, in black suits with white vests. Two 
of the bands of the guards, in state uniform, 
played various airs throughout the night. Parties 
of the foot-guards protected all the immediate 



293 

avenues ; and the horse guards were stationed in 
Pall-mall, St. JamesVstreet, St. James's-square, 
Piccadilly, &c. Every thing was managed, with 
the assistance of the police, with unexampled care 
and convenience." 

The report of all these splendid arrangements 
having naturally excited much curiosity, the 
Prince Regent was pleased to give permission to 
the public to view the apartments, on three suc- 
cessive days, the 24th, 25th, and 26th of June, 
by tickets. On the first two days, Pall Mall was 
crowded by persons either waiting for admission, 
or as mere spectators, to the number, it was sup- 
posed, of from 20,000 to 30,000, but by the pre- 
cautions taken, no accident happened on those two 
days. But Wednesday, the 26th, being the last 
day on which Carlton House was to remain open 
for exhibition, all was bustle at an early hour. At 
six o'clock, splendid equipages were already in 
motion from all parts of the town. The cards of 
admission being generally for a company of seven 
or eight, groups of people, elegantly dressed, 
might be seen advancing in every adjacent street, 
to the great scene of attraction ; and the number 



294 

collected in front of Carlton House, by seven 
o'clock, amounted to several thousands. About 
eleven o'clock, the spectators began to be admit- 
ted; and, to prevent disorder and confusion, a 
strong party of guards, both civil and military, 
was placed at the gates. The course adopted 
was, to admit about 200 at a time ; and, as soon 
as they had satisfied their curiosity with a view 
of the interior, they were let out through the rear 
into St. James's Park, and a new party was 
admitted at the front. An operation of this kind 
occupied about thirty minutes, and it was repeated 
every half hour until three o'clock. The crowd 
on the outside had now increased to an immense 
extent, filling up not only the space in front of 
Carlton House, but spreading itself down Pall 
Mall, and into the Haymarket. Their number 
could not be less than 30,000. Of all this great 
mass, however, embracing a large proportion of 
well-dressed females, none were able to get near 
to the gate, except those who had arrived previous 
to eleven o'clock in the morning. All who came 
after that hour saw between them and the wished- 
for land a crowd through which it was impossible 



295 

to force their way, and who stood before them for 
preferment. The heat was oppressive in the 
extreme; several ladies fainted away, and their 
situation was the more alarming, as in few in- 
stances did the density of the crowd permit their 
removal into the open air, for the admission of 
assistance. It appeared like the waves of the 
sea ; for so compact was the whole body, that the 
motion of a single individual agitated the whole 
mass, and when one moved, his motion was of 
necessity communicated to the rest of the body. 
Appearances now became very alarming. The 
shouts and shrieks of females were frightful. The 
crowd and pressure increased, and it was neces- 
sary to do something to restrain their impatience. 
In this state of things, Lord Yarmouth came for- 
ward, and addressed the crowd. He said, he was 
desired by his Royal Highness the Prince Regent 
to request they would not be so impatient, as it 
was his wish that the public at large should be 
gratified with a view of the apartments. The 
gate was then opened, with the intention of ad- 
mitting the usual number, when it became exactly 
like some of those rushes at our theatres which 



296 

have sometimes produced such melancholy con- 
sequences. Those behind irresistibly pushed on 
those before ; and of the number of delicate and 
helpless females who were present, some were 
thrown down, and, shocking to relate, literally 
trod upon by those behind, without the possibi- 
lity of being extricated. When at last the crowd 
got inside Carlton House gates, four females were 
found almost in a lifeless state, lying on their 
backs on the ground, with their clothes almost 
completely torn off. One young lady, elegantly 
attired, or rather who had been so, presented a 
shocking spectacle ; she had been trodden on 
until her face was quite black from strangulation, 
and every part of her body bruised to such a 
degree, as to leave little hopes of recovery ; sur- 
gical assistance was immediately had, but her life 
was not expected to be saved. An elderly lady 
had her leg broken, and was carried away in a 
chair ; and two others were also seriously hurt, 
but, on being bled, were restored to animation. 
One of them was able to walk home, the other 
was led by two men. 

The situation of almost all the ladies who were 



297 

involved in this terrible rush, was truly deplorable; 
very few of them could leave Carlton House until 
furnished with a fresh supply of clothes ; they 
were to be seen all round the gardens, most of 
them without shoes or gowns ; and many almost 
completely undressed, and their hair hanging 
about their shoulders. The crowd outside at one 
time literally carried away the horse guards for 
several paces ; when the animals became restive 
to an alarming degree, rearing on their hind legs, 
and beating down all within their reach with their 
fore feet : several women were trodden under 
foot, and received considerable injury ; and five 
or six men were so overcome that they fainted, 
and were carried off. At half-past four o'clock, 
his Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence came 
forward, and addressed the populace. He told 
them, he was desired by his royal brother, the 
Prince Regent, to say, that however happy he 
should be to gratify the public, yet, from the un- 
fortunate accidents that had occurred, he had 
been advised to close the gates, and that he had 
ordered they should not be again opened. Pla- 
cards to the same effect were also placed upon 



298 

the gates, and on the pillars in front of the house ; 
but the crowd, although sensibly diminished, 
remained formidable until near dusk, when they 
began to disperse rapidly. During the whole of 
this very anxious and distressing scene, Lord 
Yarmouth, and Colonels M'Mahon, Bloomfield, 
and Palmer, paid every possible attention to the 
people, and did all in their power for their safety 
and accommodation. Great praise was also due 
to the military, particularly the horse guards, 
for their patience and forbearance : although often 
pressed, and almost borne down by the people, 
they treated them with the greatest kindness and 
forbearance, and never were betrayed into an 
intemperate or uncivil word or action. 

As the restrictions on the power of the Regent 
expired in 1812, it was expected by many that 
the prince would then certainly form a new admi- 
nistration, in which the most distinguished of his 
old friends would hold the first places. His own 
views on this subject are, however, fully ex- 
plained in the following letter to the Duke of 
York :— 



299 

•• My Dearest Brother, 

" As the restrictions on the exercise of the 
royal authority will shortly expire, when I must 
make my arrangements for the future administra- 
tion of the powers with which I am invested, I 
think it right to communicate those sentiments 
which I was withheld from expressing at an earlier 
period of the session, by my warmest desire, that 
the expected motion on the affairs of Ireland might 
undergo the deliberate discussion of Parliament, 
unmixed with any other consideration. 

" I think it hardly necessary to call your recol- 
lection to the recent circumstances under which 
I assumed the authority delegated to me by Par- 
liament. At a moment of unexampled difficulty 
and danger, I was called upon to make a selection 
of persons to whom I should entrust the functions 
of the executive government. My sense of duty 
to our royal father solely decided that choice ; 
and every private feeling gave way to considera- 
tions which admitted of no doubt or hesitation. 
I trust I acted in that respect as the genuine 
representative of the august person whose func- 
tions I was appointed to discharge ; and I have 



300 

the satisfaction of knowing, that such was the 
opinion of persons for whose judgment and honor- 
able feelings I entertain the highest respect. In 
various instances, as you well know, where the 
law of the last session left me at full liberty, I 
waved any personal gratification, in order that His 
Majesty might resume, on his restoration to 
health, every power and prerogative belonging to 
the crown. I certainly am the last person in the 
kingdom to whom it can be permitted to despair 
of our royal father's recovery. A new era is now 
arrived, and I cannot but reflect with satisfaction 
on the events which have distinguished the short 
period of my restricted regency. Instead of suf- 
fering in the loss of her possessions, by the gigan- 
tic force which has been employed against them, 
Great Britain has added most important acquisi- 
tions to her empire. The national faith has been 
preserved inviolable towards our allies; and, if 
character is strength, as applied to a nation, the 
increased and increasing reputation of His 
Majesty's arms, will show to the nations of the 
continent how much they may achieve when 
animated by a glorious spirit of resistance to a 



301 

foreign yoke. In the critical situation of the war 
in the Peninsula, I shall be most anxious to avoid 
any measure which can lead my allies to suppose 
that I mean to depart from the present system. 
Perseverance alone can achieve the great object 
in question ; and I cannot withhold my approba- 
tion from those who have honorably distinguished 
themselves in support of it. I have no predilec- 
tion to indulge — no resentments to gratify— no 
objects to attain but such as are common to the 
whole empire. If such is the leading principle of 
my conduct — and I can appeal to the past as 
evidence of what the future will be — I flatter 
myself I shall meet with the support of Parlia- 
ment, and of a candid and enlightened nation. 
Having made this communication of my senti- 
ments in this new and extraordinary crisis of our 
affairs, I cannot conclude without expressing the 
gratification I should feel, if some of those persons 
with whom the early habits of my public life were 
formed, would strengthen my hands, and consti- 
tute a part of my government. With such sup- 
port, and aided by a vigorous and united admi- 
nistration, formed on the most liberal basis, I 



302 

shall look with additional confidence to a pros- 
perous issue of the most arduous contest in which 
Great Britain was ever engaged. You are autho- 
rised to communicate these sentiments to Lord 
Grey, who, I have no doubt, will make them 
known to Lord Grenville. 

" I am always, my dearest Frederick, your 
ever affectionate brother, 

(Signed) " George P. R. 

" Carlton House, Feb. 13, 1812. 

" P. S. I shall send a copy of this letter imme- 
diately to Mr. Perceval." 

The noblemen thus distinguished by the prince's 
desire to enlist their acknowledged talents in the 
support of his government, having declined to 
coalesce with Mr. Perceval, no change took place. 

On the 20th of April, 1812, a message was sent 
to the House of Commons from the Prince Regent, 
requesting the House to take into consideration 
the propriety of making such a provision for their 
Royal Highnesses the Princesses, as might be 
thought suitable. On the Monday following 



303 

an animated discussion took place, but no 
mention being made of the Princess of Wales, 
Mr. Tierney, Mr. Bennet, and Mr. Whitbread, 
desired to know why the princess appeared in 
her present situation, respecting whose reputed 
separation from the prince, they as members of 
Parliament knew nothing. The princess, they 
thought, had a right to be treated as Queen; they 
blamed Mr. Perceval, formerly her most zealous 
champion, for having abandoned her cause, and 
alluded to The Book, which he had formerly been 
prepared to circulate all over Europe, but had 
since suppressed. 

In reply to these observations, Mr. Perceval 
said, with regard to the separation of the royal 
persons he should say nothing. And as to what 
he was bound to do as affected his own character 
and conduct, he should always judge for himself. 
He had no objection to state, that neither as 
counsel to her Royal Highness, nor as minister, 
nor in any other capacity, could he recollect any 
thing to bring as a charge against her Royal 
Highness, nor did he entertain any opinion calcu- 
lated to throw the slightest reflection on her. 



304 

Further than this he should not state. As to the 
situation of her Royal Highness, he had no 
instruction to propose any additional grant, but 
if Parliament could be induced to think favourably 
of the measure, he for one should be inclined to 
give that disposition full effect. 

The resolution for adding £6,000 per annum to 
the income of the Princesses Augusta, Sophia, 
Elizabeth, and Mary, was then agreed to. 
Nothing further occurred in Parliament, at that 
time, relative to the Princess of Wales. 

"The Book" having been thus publicly alluded 
to, considerable attention was of course excited 
to the subject. Advertisements, relative to it, 
and various rumors respecting " the Delicate 
Investigation" had, however, long before this time, 
served to amuse and engage the public attention. 
But of this extraordinary book nothing was with 
certainty known. The public expectation was 
for a long time intense, and the anxiety to pos- 
sess a copy of this mysterious document was 
unusually great. 

The following is believed to be a true history 
of the various fates of this celebrated production. 



305 

The princess of Wales had, in 1807, com- 
plained of the delay which had taken place in 
restoring her to His Majesty's presence and 
favor ; and in the correspondence with His Ma- 
jesty, said that the publication of the proceedings 
relative to the charges of Lady Douglas seemed 
to be almost the only means left her to vindicate 
her honor and character. Mr. Perceval himself 
had arranged those proceedings, and had them 
printed by Mr. Edwards, of Crane-court, Fleet- 
street. The proof-sheets were sent to an osten- 
sible editor at the west-end of the town, who 
conveyed them to his master, and in due time 
returned them for impression. The number 
worked off was only 500 copies; and this small 
number has been mentioned as a proof that the 
book was never intended for the public eye, but 
most probably for a more important purpose. In 
the printing of this work, the most profound 
secrecy was observed ; the whole of the 500 copies 
except two, were delivered at the house of the 
principal in the transaction ; and soon after Mr. 
Perceval was appointed First Lord of the Trea- 
sury, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the 



306 

book was suppressed ; a few copies of " the Book" 
had got into the world, and they were bought up 
at an immense price. One editor of a newspaper 
was said to have obtained £1,500 for his copy, 
and several other copies were bought up at £500, 
£750, and similar sums. 

The chancellor (in 1808) had issued an injunc- 
tion against one editor, who had declared that he 
possessed a copy, and would republish it. He 
was restrained under a penalty of £5,000, and 
afterwards sold his copy for an enormous sum. 
In the Morning Chronicle of the 24th March, 1809, 
was the following advertisement : 
" A Book! a Book! 

" The following advertisement appeared yester- 
day in a ministerial paper : — 

" A Book. — Any person having in their pos- 
session a copy of a certain book, printed by Mr. 
Edwards, in 1807, but never published, with 
W. Lindsell's name as the seller of the same on 
the title-page, and will bring it to W. Lindsell, 
bookseller, Wimpole-street, will receive a hand- 
some gratuity." 

It is well known that the Book was, notwith- 



307 

standing all these precautions, reprinted in 1813, 
but the following particulars relative to this affair 
are, we believe, now published for the first time. 
When a change in the ministry was in contem- 
plation in 1807, Mr. Perceval, thinking the time 
was come when he might be admitted to a share 
in the government, made, it is said, some propo- 
sals which were not at first deemed such as could 
be granted. As he was to give up his practice 
at the bar, he required that first of all the chan- 
cellorship of the Duchy of Lancaster should be 
granted to him for life, and that he should 
hold the offices of Chancellor of the Exche- 
quer and First Lord of the Treasury. Some 
demur being made, he intimated an intention of 
printing the Book, On this he was informed that 
no objection would be made to giving him the 
post of Chancellor of the Exchequer. He still 
insisted on the chancellorship of Lancaster as a 
provision for life ; and this not being assented to, 
he printed the Book, and shewed a copy, in 
consequence of which he obtained his object, and 
the book was suppressed. What happened after- 
wards with respect to the few copies that had 

x2 



308 

got into other hands, has been stated above. But 
while Mr. Perceval was in power, a person whose 
name need not be mentioned here, got possession 
of the manuscripts, and brought them to an emi- 
nent bookseller in the city, proposing that he 
should purchase and publish them. The book- 
seller, who had no inclination to do any thing 
unpleasant to the ministry, which he supported, 
dissuaded the holder of them from publishing, 
and said, that as it must be indifferent to him in 
what manner he obtained a profit on the manu- 
scripts, he proposed that they should be left 
with him, and that he should inform a friend in 
the treasury that he had them in his hands. 
The possessor agreed to this, and the bookseller 
accordingly wrote, stating the circumstances. 
In consequence of this a gentleman from the 
treasury called on him early the following morn- 
ing, and the matter ended in the manuscripts 
being given up for a valuable consideration. The 
bookseller, on whose authority these circum- 
stances are stated, relates that he looked over the 
manuscripts while he had them in his possession, 
and that the quantity was much more than what 



309 

afterwards appeared as The Book. He particu- 
larly remembers two very long letters from the 
King to the Princess of Wales, which he never 
saw elsewhere, and which gave him a higher idea 
of the correct judgment and excellent sense of 
the King than any thing else that can be with 
certainty ascribed to him. 

On the 17th of April, on the motion in the 
House of Commons for the third reading of the 
bills for granting an annuity to the princesses, 
Mr. Whitbread again alluded to the Princess of 
Wales, expressing his astonishment that all men- 
tion of her Royal Highness had been omitted. As 
it had been announced that the Queen was to 
hold a drawing-room, the public naturally in- 
quired, he said, why the Princess of Wales had no 
appointment, and why she was not to preside on 
such occasions. She ought to be enabled, he said, 
under present circumstances, to hold a drawing- 
room. He spoke again of the Book, and of its 
being bought up at a great expense. To the ob- 
servations of Mr. Whitbread, Mr. Perceval, how- 
ever, maintained a complete silence, 

On the 30th of the same month, for the first 



310 

time for nearly two years past, Her Majesty held 
a drawing-room, which was numerously attended. 
The Regent went in state. The Princess of Wales 
was also there ; but it was so arranged, as her 
Royal Highness was determined to attend, that 
she should go sooner than the Prince Regent, and 
retire before his appearance : of course their Royal 
Highnesses did not meet. The Prince Regent 
gave, in the evening, a splendid entertainment at 
Carlton House, to the Queen, his. sisters the 
princesses, and the nobility and gentry. 
' On Monday, May 1 1th, 1 812, Mr. Perceval was 
assassinated in the lobby of the House of Com- 
mons, from a motive of personal and private ven- 
geance, by a desperate and decayed merchant of 
the name of Bellingham, who, having failed in 
some commercial operations in Russia, and not 
obtained from the Russian government the redress 
to which he thought himself entitled, had made 
several applications to the ministers to interfere in 
his behalf, and, failing in this, was resolved to be 
revenged, which he executed in this dreadful 
manner. He did not attempt to escape, and 
readily acknowledged the deed, which he justi- 



311 

fied. As the courts were then sitting, he was 
soon brought to trial, and executed on the 18th 
of the same month. He prepared for his fate with 
great composure, and persisted to the last in the 
perverse notion of the justice of what he had done. 

The Prince Regent, who was deeply affected 
with the loss of so able and upright a minister as 
Mr. Perceval had proved himself to be, sent a 
message to Parliament the very next day, lament- 
ing the melancholy event, and recommending an 
adequate provision for the widow and family of 
the murdered minister. 

A circumstance relative to the foreign policy of 
England, which occurred during the administra- 
tion of Mr. Perceval, deserves to be mentioned 
here, as it is not generally known. 

When Sweden was brought to the brink of ruin, 
by the ill-judged perseverance of Gustavus IV. in 
resistingthe overwhelming powerof Russia, which, 
in consequence of the new friendship between 
Alexander and Napoleon, had unjustly declared 
war against Sweden, and seized on Finland, 
several of the Swedish nobility resolved that he 
should be deposed, if he did not soon adopt a 



312 

i 

system of foreign policy and domestic government 
less dangerous to the safety of the kingdom. 
Finding that matters were not likely to improve, 
they resolved to carry their plan into execution ; 
and as the King's son was quite a child, to exclude 
him also. They also resolved, to prevent jealousies 
among the Swedish nobility, to call a foreigner 
to the throne, and, after mature deliberation, de- 
cided to apply to England. Considering the 
danger of such a negociation, they chose for their 
negociator an English gentleman of great respect- 
ability, then in Sweden, who was personally 
known to most of them. Him, therefore, they 
sent to England, with sufficient credentials, to 
make to the British government a communication 
to the following effect : — " That the parties con- 
cerned had resolved on deposing the King, as 
indispensable to the salvation of the kingdom ; 
that they offered the crown of Sweden to the 
King of England, to be given to an English 
prince, whom His Majesty might choose; but 
particularly naming, however, his Royal High- 
ness Prince William of Gloucester, because he, 
belonging to the collateral line, there was less 



313 

likelihood that he or his descendants would 
be called to the crown of England, with which 
it was to be expressly understood that of 
Sweden should never be united. They requested 
the English government to be assured, that its 
refusal to accede to this proposal would not pre- 
serve the King of Sweden on his throne, his 
deposition being irrevocably decided on; so that 
they should be obliged to make an application to 
some other quarter, the result of which would, 
perhaps, not be so agreeable to England." 

The negociator came to London, and communi- 
cated with the ministers, and after remaining 
about three weeks, was sent back with an answer 
to the effect that, " England having maintained 
so long and arduous a contest, to uphold the legi- 
timate governments of Europe, against revolution 
and usurpation, could not be a party to the over- 
throw of one of the oldest sovereign houses of 
Europe, even if the head of it were not one of her 
most faithful allies." With this answer the gen- 
tleman returned to Sweden, nor was his mission 
ever suspected. The sequel is well known : the 
Swedish nobles deposed their sovereign, and ex- 



314 

eluded all his family from the throne. To gain 
time to look out for a foreign prince, they placed 
on the throne the uncle of their dethroned 
monarch, a man advanced in years, and without 
children, who took the name of Charles XIII. 
This monarch was induced to adopt for his son 
and successor, Prince Charles Augustus of Augus- 
tenberg, a subject of the King of Denmark, 
who was a very accomplished young prince. In 
January, 1810, he went to Stockholm, took the 
oaths of fidelity, and received the homage of the 
estates of the kingdom ; but, on the 29th of May, 
the same year, while reviewing some cavalry, he 
was seized with sudden illness, fell from his horse, 
and expired shortly after. At his funeral, three 
weeks afterwards, a most disgraceful scene took 
place. Count Fersen, who, as High Marshal, led 
the procession, was brutally assaulted by the 
mob, who accused him of having murdered the 
Crown Prince, and after a vain attempt to escape, 
he was assassinated with the most savage ferocity 
by the populace. In consequence of the sudden 
death of the newly-elected Crown Prince, it was 
necessary to find another, and the choice fell on 



315 

Marshal Bernadotte, the present King. How he 
came to be chosen, is not a point to be entered 
upon here. 

The assassination of Mr. Perceval led Mr. 
Stuart Wortley, on the 21st of May, to move an 
address to the Prince Regent, praying his Royal 
Highness to take such measures as might be best 
calculated to form an efficient administration. 
The address was carried against ministers, and 
the answer returned was, that his Royal Highness 
would take the address into serious and imme- 
diate consideration. Expectations of a new 
ministry were generally entertained, and the 
prince gave directions to the Marquis Wellesley, 
to take measures for forming a strong and efficient 
administration. The negociation between Lord 
Wellesley and Lords Grey and Grenville, and 
some members of the existing administration, 
however, broke off on a preliminary question. 
Mr. Canning afterwards stated, in the House of 
Commons, that Lord Moira, fearing that he was 
not entirely understood by the prince when he 
received his unrestricted commands to form an 



316 

administration, on returning to the royal presence 
he put this question directly — " Is your Royal 
Highness prepared, if I should so advise it, to 
part with all the officers of your household !" The 
answer was, " I am." " Then (said Lord Moira) 
your Royal Highness shall not part with one of 
them." On June the 8th, the Earl of Liverpool 
stated, in the House of Lords, that the Prince 
Regent had on that day appointed him First Lord 
of the Treasury, and the Liverpool administration 
was immediately formed. 

On the 30th of September, the eagles and 
ensigns taken from the French in the Peninsula, 
were, with great ceremony, deposited in White- 
hall chapel. 

On the 30th of November, 1812, the Prince 
Regent (now unfettered by restrictions) delivered, 
in the new Parliament, his first speech from the 
throne. 

As it was eight years since the King had at- 
tended Parliament, great interest was made to 
obtain tickets of admission to the House of Lords. 
The Princesses Augusta, Elizabeth, and Mary, 






317 

and the Princess Charlotte of Wales, were pre- 
sent, being conducted to the House by the Duke 
of Cumberland. 

The Prince Regent, in this his first address in 
person to Parliament, adverts with satisfaction to 
the improved state of affairs by the successes of 
the British and allied army on the continent, 
during the course of the past year. But as the 
prince may be considered as having this year 
commenced his reign, the restrictions on his 
power having expired, and the King having never 
afterwards sufficiently recovered to resume the 
reins of government, it may not be amiss to take 
a very brief review of the various events by which 
the power of the enemy was at length checked. 

At the commencement of the regency, Napoleon 
was in the zenith of his power. His resources 
seemed to be inexhaustible, and his power bound- 
less. The object of England, to which all her 
efforts had been steadly directed, was to exhaust 
his resources, and to weaken his power. But it 
was not till the year preceding the era of the 
regency, that hope promised to crown her perse- 
verance and courage. 



318 

In that year the islands of Bourbon and 
Amboyna had been taken, and an attack on the 
island of Sicily which had long been in prepara- 
tion was repulsed, and the enemy's designs on 
Portugal and Cadiz frustrated. Disputes with 
America were at the beginning of the regency a 
subject of negociation, and the prince expressed 
an earnest wish for an amicable termination. 

The first decided check given to Napoleon on 
land, was certainly in the Spanish Peninsula, 
where, after various turns of fortune from the year 
1808, when Spain first rose indignant against the 
invader, who had so basely entrapped the family 
of the lawful sovereign, the scale was at length 
turned wholly to the advantage of Great Britain 
and her allies. 

Arthur Wellesley, the hero of Assaye, was 
called to conduct the operations of Britain in the 
European Peninsula. His courage was not rash 
or headlong. His plans extended beyond a single 
battle. He foresaw from Vimiera the invasion of 
France. He conquered by retreat, gained time 
and strength, and waited for opportunity to be- 
come the assailant in his turn. Marshals of France 



319 

undertook, in succession, the glorious task of 
driving this intruder into the sea. They were 
each in turn compelled to yield to the superior 
ability of their adversary. 

The kingdom of Portugal was completely 
delivered from the French invading army, in 
1811. In that year, too, brilliant success crowned 
the English arms in the East, by the conquest of 
the island of Java. But the blessings of peace 
seemed still as remote as ever. Napoleon not 
only continued to enforce with the greatest rigor 
his measures for excluding British commerce from 
the continent of Europe, but in order to give 
them more effect, annexed the whole of Holland, 
and the North of Germany, as far as the Elbe, 
to the French empire. Meantime, the two belli- 
gerent powers had, by their measures of mutual 
retaliation, given causes of complaint to the United 
States of America, which threatened to lead to 
hostilities with one or both powers. 

Though the year 1812 was distinguished by 
the continued success of Lord Wellington, in 
Spain, where he gained the great victory of 
Salamanca, and obliged the French to leave 



320 

Madrid, every other interest sinks into insigni- 
ficance in comparison with Napoleon's expedition 
to Russia, and the mighty destruction that over- 
whelmed the invading army, which probably in 
numbers, and certainly in real effective strength, 
was the most formidable ever brought into the 
field in modern times. If the march of that 
mighty host, the tremendous battles of Borodino 
and the Moskwa, the occupation of Moscow by 
the French, the awful destruction of that ancient 
capital of the Czars, and the invincible firmness 
and patriotism of Alexander and his people, had 
filled Europe alternately with dismay, horror, and 
admiration, the celebrated 29th bulletin, unfold- 
ing a tale of disaster and human misery, unparal- 
lelled in military annals, electrified Europe, and 
awakened, in the hearts of enslaved and degraded 
nations, a hope that they might yet throw off the 
yoke of foreign oppression . 

The difficulties of England were this year in- 
creased by the commencement of a war with the 
United States of America, which, far from sym- 
pathising with the parent state in the arduous 
struggle in which she was then engaged, in the 



321 

defence not only of her own rights, but of the 
liberty of Europe, took advantage of her situation 
to act towards her in a manner which rendered 
war unavoidable; and by thus distracting her 
attention, and dividing her force, made a most 
unseasonable diversion in favor of France, against 
whom they had grounds of complaint much more 
serious than any that could be alleged against 
Great Britain. 

Notwithstanding the entire failure of Buona- 
parte's invasion of Russia, which had destroyed 
almost the whole of his veteran troops, he was 
enabled, by extraordinary exertions, again to 
return to Germany with a formidable army, and 
to meet the Russians, (now joined by the Prus- 
sian army,) who had advanced into Germany, but 
were, if not entirely defeated, yet checked in 
their career, by the battles of Lutzen and Baut- 
zen; in consequence of which they retreated 
towards the Oder. Though hostilities were 
suspended by a short armistice, they were again 
renewed with increased energy, Austria having 
joined the allies ; and, after a series of victories, 
among which those of the veteran Blucher, in 



322 

Silesia, and those of the Crown Prince of Sweden, 
(Bernadotte,) deserve particular mention, the fate 
of Buonaparte again appeared to be decided by 
the tremendous battle, or rather battles, of 
Leipsic, on the 17th, 18th, and 19th of October, 
1813, in which the Emperors of Austria and 
Russia, the King of Prussia, the Crown Prince of 
Sweden, and a long list of distinguished captains, 
were present. In this list, one great name was 
unhappily missing, that of the celebrated General 
Moreau, who, having come from America on pur- 
pose to join the Emperor Alexander, in the hope 
of contributing to the deliverance of Europe, was 
struck, in a reconnoissance, almost close to the 
Emperor Alexander, by a cannon ball, which 
carried off both his thighs ; and in consequence 
of which, he died a few days afterwards. After 
the battle of Leipsic, Napoleon proceeded on his 
retreat ; and, after a desperate battle with the 
Bavarian army, under General Wrede, at Hanau, 
crossed the Rhine at Mayence. All Germany 
declared against France, with the exception of 
Saxony, whose aged King having remained per- 
tinaciously attached to Napoleon to the last, 



323 

though a part of his troops joined the allies, was 
considered by the sovereigns as an enemy. The 
enthusiasm excited by the discomfiture of Napo- 
leon soon reached Holland, where, on the 15th of 
November, the people of Amsterdam rose in a 
body, and, with the old cry of Orange Boven, 
universally put up Orange colors, and proclaimed 
the sovereignty of that illustrious house. The 
news of this unlooked-for revolution was hailed 
with extraordinary joy in England, and the Prince 
of Orange quitting the hospitable shores, where 
he and his family had so long enjoyed an asylum, 
landed, on the 30th of November, and on the 1st 
of December made his solemn entry into Am- 
sterdam. 

The arms of Great Britain, in Spain, were still 
victorious. Suchet was repulsed from his de- 
fensive lines, and Lord Wellington pressed on by 
Salamanca to Madrid. King Joseph Buonaparte 
retired upon the Ebro, and a decisive action at 
Vittoria left Wellington a conqueror, and com- 
pelled the French army to retreat across the 
Bidossoa. The castles of Pampeluna and Sebas- 

v 2 



324 

tian fell before the united army, and Wellington 
entered France. 

The battle of Vittoria was celebrated in Lon- 
don with great rejoicings and splendid illumina- 
tions, on the 5th, 6th, and 7th of July ; and, on 
the 20th, there was a magnificent fete at Vauxhall, 
in honor of the victory. The Dukes of York, 
Clarence, Kent, Sussex, Cambridge, and Glou- 
cester, were present ; the Princess of Wales also 
honored the gardens, accompanied by Ladies 
Campbell and Glenbervie. Her Royal Highness 
was conducted several times round the chief pro- 
menade, by the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of 
Brunswick, (her brother), and Colonel St. Leger, 
but was not accommodated with a seat. The 
sequel of this f&te was extremely disagreeable; 
the crowd of carriages was so great, and the ar- 
rangements so imperfect, that the company, on 
leaving the gardens, could not, in many instances, 
reach their carriages, and hundreds of ladies, after 
waiting for hours, had to walk home. It was a 
scene of inextricable confusion, and no little dan- 
ger, by which nearly two hundred carriages were 



325 

destroyed. Among the trophies displayed at this 
fete, was the baton of Marshal Jourdan, taken at 
the battle of Vittoria. The Prince Regent, after 
the receipt of this, and the other trophies of that 
memorable day, wrote a letter to the Marquess of 
Wellington, in which, after expressing his grati- 
tude to his lordship for his great achievements, 
he is said to have added, that in return for Jour- 
dan's baton, his Royal Highness thought he 
could not do better than send him the baton of a 
British Field-Marshal. 

During the course of this year, the public mind 
was again disturbed by parliamentary discussions 
concerning the situation of her Royal Highness 
the Princess of Wales. 

On the 14th of January, 181.3, her Royal 
Highness transmitted a sealed letter upon the 
subject of the education of the Princess Charlotte, 
to the Prince Regent, with two open copies to 
the Earls of Liverpool and Eldon. This letter, 
the production of Dr. Parr, was admirably drawn 
up. It was returned unopened; but, after several 
addresses to Lord Liverpool, his Lordship was 
obliged to reply, and he wrote that the letter had 



326 

been read to his Royal Highness, but " he had 
not been pleased to express his pleasure thereon." 
This letter was afterwards published in the 
Morning Chronicle. The publication so irritated 
the Prince, that he personally forbade any inter- 
course between the Princess of Wales and the 
Princess Charlotte. 

This letter to the prince not having produced 
the effect desired, her Royal Highness wrote 
another to the Speaker of the House of Commons, 
stating, that Lord Sidmouth had communicated 
to her the report of the commissioners appointed 
to enquire into her conduct in 1806. The friends 
of the princess forced on the reluctant House the 
agitation of this most distressing question; but 
though much argument was used on both sides, 
little of interest was elicited, and no further light 
thrown on the delicate investigation of 1806. 
The strongest language was made use of to express 
the abhorrence of one party against what was 
termed a deliberate conspiracy to destroy the life 
and honor of her Royal Highness; and on the 
other side it was urged with scarce less vehemence, 
that every discussion could only tend to widen 



327 

the breach between the high personages most 
intimately concerned. On the 23d of March, her 
Royal Highness had the misfortune to witness 
the death of her mother the Duchess of Bruns- 
wick, only surviving sister of King George III. 

Though the prince, vexed at the publication of 
the letter in the Chronicle, would not at that time 
allow his daughter to visit her mother, this 
inhibition, it seems, was not intended to be 
permanent, for on the 26th of March, the Princess 
Charlotte dined with the Princess of Wales, at 
Blackheath, when an affecting interview took 
place. The public were much gratified at this 
renewal of the intercourse between the princess 
and her daughter, and the Princess of Wales, 
in an answer to an address from the Livery of 
the City of London, congratulating her on what 
they called her happy escape from the conspiracy 
against her honor and her life, said she would 
lose no opportunity of encouraging the talents 
and virtues of her dear daughter. 

The Prince Regent went in state to close the 
session, on the 22nd of July, and in his speech, 
amidst so many subjects of triumph and congra- 



• 328 

tulation, the only cause for regret was the con- 
tinuance of the war with America. 

On the 4th of November, 1813, the Regent 
opened the session in a speech from the throne, 
and the address was carried with an unusual 
degree of unanimity. So important did the 
moment appear, and so essentially necessary 
was exertion considered to be, that a loan of 
,£22,000,000, and foreign subsidies to the amount 
of £11,000,000, with 100,000 stand of arms, were 
granted, without a dissentient voice. This was 
the essential business of the session, and the Par- 
liament was adjourned till the month of March 
in the following year. 

On the 27th of December, Lord Castlereagh, 
with a numerous suite, set out from London, on 
an important mission to the head-quarters of the 
allied powers. 

The state of affairs at the close of 1813, was 
such as to hold out an almost certain prospect of 
the speedy termination of the mighty contest, 
which had been so long carried on between 
France and the other powers of Europe. Before 
crossing the Rhine, the allied sovereigns offered 



329 

peace, and a greater extent of territory to France, 
than it possessed before the revolution. 

The winter of 1813-1814 was one of the 
longest and most severe ever experienced in 
England. The Prince Regent caused circulars 
to be addressed to the sheriffs of the counties, 
with directions to use every means in their 
power for restoring the communications between 
London and the provinces, which the fall of snow 
and the bad state of the roads had interrupted. 

Meantime the last act of the great drama was 
proceeding in France. While Lord Castlereagh 
was engaged at Chatillon in negociating with the 
plenipotentiaries of Buonaparte, the war was 
continued with extraordinary vigor on both 
sides. In this last conflict for his throne Napoleon 
displayed, in the opinion of many competent 
judges, a still higher degree of military skill than 
even he himself had ever shown in his long and 
triumphant career ; but the numbers of the armies 
opposed to him, commanded as they were by 
generals of consummate skill, and encouraged by 
the presence of the sovereigns, baffled all his 
efforts ; and yet it seems to have been owing to 



330 

an overweening, if not superstitious confidence 
in his fortune, that a treaty was not concluded at 
Chatillon, by which he would have been acknow- 
ledged Emperor of the French, and the family of 
the Bourbons perhaps for ever excluded. The 
negociation was broken off on the 18th of March. 
While this was passing on the north of France, 
Lord Wellington prosecuted his victorious career 
in the south ; and sent a detachment of his army 
under Marshal Beresford to Bordeaux, where he 
arrived on the 12th of March. He was welcomed 
with joy by the magistrates and inhabitants, who 
assumed the white cockade, and thus this most 
important city was the first openly to declare for 
a counter revolution. The Duke d'Angoul£me, 
who was with the British army, was received with 
the warmest acclamations. 

One bold and rather desperate effort was made 
by Napoleon to arrest the fall of his fortunes. 
He resolved to push between the two allied 
armies, to interrupt their communications, and 
fall in the rear of the Austrians, and should he 
defeat them, to take such measures as might be 
the most advantageous. His intentions were 



331 

discovered by an intercepted letter, and a coun- 
cil was immediately called at the head-quarters 
of the allied sovereigns, at which it was resolved 
immediately to unite all their forces, and march 
directly to Paris. It has been stated that it was 
at first proposed in this council, to retreat, but 
that Lord Castlereagh said, "And what have we 
to fear if we advance V? This led to a discussion, 
the results of which, were the surrender of Paris 
to the allies, the deposition and subsequent 
abdication of Napoleon, the restoration of the 
Bourbons, and the termination of a war of twenty 
years' duration, by a peace, which without being 
humiliating to France, was glorious to the allies, 
and, on the whole, equally honorable to the valor 
of their armies, and to the moderation and wisdom 
of their councils. 

In March, the Duchess of Oldenburg, sister to 
the Emperor of Russia, honored the Prince 
Regent with a visit, and assisted in the honors 
paid to the royal family of France, on their 
restoration to the regal dignity. 

The happy events in France, now rendering 



332 

the presence of His Majesty Louis XVIII. in the 
capital of his kingdom highly necessary, he left 
Hartwell, where he had been residing in dignified 
retirement for some years, but with very little 
apparent probability of that joyful turn of fortune, 
which now awaited him. 

The 20th of April, 1814, was the memorable 
day on which the inhabitants of London witnessed 
the unprecedented scene of a King of France 
making his public entry into the metropolis of 
the British Empire, accompanied by the Prince 
Regent, as ostensible sovereign of these king- 
doms. Among the many proud days which 
adorn the British annals, there is scarcely 
any one on which the mind may dwell with 
more sincere satisfaction. It was not a mere 
empty pageant, overpowering the mind for 
a moment by its ostentatious, but transitory, 
splendor ; it was a scene calculated to call forth 
the noblest feelings of the human breast—grati- 
tude to Heaven, and good- will to mankind; 
joy and conscious triumph at the retrospect of 
that long series of awful dangers, happily sur- 



333 

mounted by invincible perseverance, and hope in 
the duration of that peace now so auspiciously- 
restored. 

At four in the morning the Prince Regent's 
state carriage, with seven of the usual royal equi- 
pages, with out-riders, had set out for Stanmore, 
where His Majesty was to breakfast. 

The prince timely left Carlton House in his 
travelling carriage, for Stanmore, at half-past 
twelve o'clock, attended by the Duke of Mont- 
rose, master of the horse, and Viscount Melbourne, 
the lord in waiting. His Royal Highness's pos- 
tillions were dressed in white jackets, with white 
hats and cockades. 

The Duchess of Oldenburg sent invitations to 
the Queen and the Princesses Elizabeth, Mary, 
Charlotte of Wales, and Sophia of Gloucester, to 
come to the Pulteney Hotel, to see the royal 
procession: they all went except Her Majesty ; 
and there the Royal party were also joined by 
the Russian ambassador, the Countess Lieven, 
the Baron Nicolai, &c. 

The Prince Regent arrived at the Abercorn 
Arms inn, at Stanmore, about two o'clock, from 



334 

whence the procession was to pass. Numbers 
of the nobility and gentry of that part of the 
country, went a mile out of the town to accom- 
pany the King of France into Stanmore ; and 
when His Majesty had got within a short distance, 
the populace took the horses from his carriage, 
and drew him into the village. The Prince 
Regent was at the door of the inn in readiness to 
receive His Majesty, which his Royal Highness 
did according to the custom of the French nation, 
by embracing him : they conversed in the French 
language. 

The procession being formed, it began to move 
in the following order, at twenty minutes past 
three o'clock : — 

One hundred Gentlemen on horseback. 

Horse Trumpeters. 

A numerous party of the Royal Horse Guards. 

Six Royal carriages, each drawn by six bays, the servants 

with white cockades ; an out-rider to each carriage. 

A party of the Royal Horse Guards. 

Lastly came the state carriage, in which were 
the King of France, the Duchess d'Angouleme, 



335 

and the Prince Regent, drawn by eight cream- 
colored horses. 

An officer of the Royal Horse Guards rode at 
each window, and a numerous party of horse 
closed the procession. Though, from some 
changes in the arrangements, it became generally 
known in the morning, that the train could not 
reach town till between five and six o'clock, such 
was the impatience of the multitude, that the 
principal avenues were crowded by noon. But 
this multitude was not the mere populace ; per- 
sons of the first distinction lined the road with 
their equipages; and perhaps not the least 
delightful and admirable part of the day's exhibi- 
tion was to be found among the spectators. The 
day was fine, a temperate sun, a summer air, a 
sky almost without a cloud: wherever the eye 
ranged, it fell on splendor and beauty, attitudes 
and countenances of loveliness and joy. From 
Albemarle-street to the Park, was almost one 
mass of carriages, with females of the first fashion 
standing on the seats. Every balcony and win- 
dow in that stately range of buildings was full, 



336 

waving with the Bourbon flag, or wreathed with 
white. 

The procession, at half-past five, entered the 
Park by Cumberland-gate. On its opening out 
into Piccadilly, the whole view was eminently 
striking. From the ascent near the Green Park 
the total pomp lay under the eye ; and the com- 
bination of military splendor, stately movement, 
and countless multitude, gave a coup-d'ceil of 
unrivalled richness, interest, and variety. A troop 
of gentlemen on horseback, with white cockades, 
led the way. The carriages followed, escorted 
by detachments of the Life Guards. A strong 
body of the 14th Light Dragoons and London 
Volunteer Horse, brought up the rear. The cere- 
monial moved slowly on, impeded by the eager- 
ness of the multitude. 

A little before six o'clock, the cavalcade arrived 
at Grillon's Hotel, Albemarle-street. As the car- 
riage with the cream-colored horses approached, 
the people huzzaed, the ladies from the windows 
waving their handkerchiefs. His Majesty had 
hold of the prince's arm, who conducted him to 



337 

the principal parlour; on his arrival there, he 
found himself much overcome with fatigue; an 
arm-chair was brought, in which His Majesty- 
seated himself, the Duke of York on his left, his 
Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and the 
Duchess d'Angouleme on his right, the Prince 
de Conde and the Duke de Bourbon facing him, 
with all his suite surrounding him. The Marquis 
of Hertford and the Earl of Cholmondeley, were 
behind the chair; the Austrian, Spanish, Russian, 
and Portuguese ambassadors, with all the minis- 
ters, were present. About 150 of the French 
noblesse were also assembled at the hotel, to 
greet the arrival of their sovereign, and an inter- 
esting scene took place. The Prince Regent 
then addressed His Majesty to the following 
effect : — 

" Your Majesty will permit me to offer you 
my heartiest congratulations upon that great 
event which has always been amongst the warmest 
of my wishes, and which must eminently contri- 
bute to the happiness not only of Your Majesty's 
people, but to the repose and happiness of all 
other nations. I am sure I may add, that my 

z 



338 

own sentiments and feelings are in unison with 
those of the whole British nation, and that the 
triumph and transport with which Your Majesty 
will be received in your own capital, can scarcely 
exceed the joy and satisfaction which Your Ma- 
jesty's restoration to the throne of your ancestors 
has created in the capital of the British empire." 

To which His Majesty replied :— " Your Royal 
Highness will accept my most sincere and grate- 
ful thanks for your Royal Highness's congratula- 
tions — for the invariable kindness with which I 
have been treated by your Royal Highness, and 
by every member of your illustrious House. It 
is to your Royal Highness's councils — to this 
great country, and to the constancy of its people, 
that I shall always ascribe, under Providence, the 
restoration of our House to the throne of our 
ancestors, and that state of affairs which promises 
to heal the wounds, to calm the passions, and to 
restore the peace, tranquillity, and prosperity of 
all nations*" 

The Prince Regent.— "Your Majesty indeed 
views my conduct with too partial an eye. I 
can claim no merit but the performance of a duty 



339 

to which inclination and every consideration 
prompted me. And surely Your Majesty will 
allow that the performance of it has been well 
rewarded by those events which call forth our 
present congratulations. May Your Majesty long 
reign in peace, happiness, and honor !" 

The King of France. — "Your Royal Highness 
must allow me to add, that I have but feebly 
expressed all the grateful feelings of my heart, 
feelings which I shall retain to the last moment 
of my life, for the unabated kindness and the 
generous protection with which your Royal High- 
ness and your noble nation have honored me 
and all the members of my House, and all those 
loyal men attached to it, during our residence 
in this great and happy country. May its great- 
ness and happiness be eternal !" 

His Majesty and the Prince Regent both spoke 
in French, and it was impossible for any one who 
heard them not to admire the feeling and expres- 
sive manner of the former, and the grace and 
animation of the latter. 

His Majesty then, assisted by the Prince de 
Cond£, and the Duke de Bourbon, taking the 

z2 



340 

riband of the Order of Saint Esprit from his own 
shoulder, and the star from his breast, invested 
the prince with it, declaring his happiness, that 
it should be upon his Royal Highness he should 
first have the honor of conferring that ancient 
order, upon his restoration. 

His Royal Highness soon after took leave, and 
entered his carriage, amidst cries of " God bless 
the Prince ! Vivent les Eourbons ! The Prince and 
Old England for ever /" 

On the 23rd of April, the King of France, the 
Duchess d\Angouleme, the Prince de Cond£, and 
the Duke de Bourbon 5 left London to embark at 
Dover for France. An immense concourse of 
people had assembled at an early hour in Albe- 
marle-street; and it being announced that the 
Duchess of Angouleme was coming to pay her 
respects to her uncle, every hand was at once 
moved, and every voice raised, to express the 
universal respect and admiration felt for the 
heroic and amiable daughter of Louis XVI. 
When the King got into his carriage, he was 
affectionately cheered by the people, who ex- 
claimed, "God bless Your Majesty! — a happy 



341 

return to your native country!" — His Majesty 
appeared greatly affected by these marks of good- 
will, and bowed repeatedly to the people. The 
Dukes of Kent and Sussex rode by the carriage, 
and the Prince de Conde and Duke de Bourbon 
followed. 

The Prince Regent, accompanied by Lord 
Yarmouth and Colonel Bloomfield, left Carlton 
House at six in the morning to proceed to Dover, 
in order to be in readiness to receive His Majesty, 
and remain with him till his final departure. 

The passage of the King of France through 
the county of Kent resembled a triumphal pro- 
cession. The towns were decorated with white 
banners and flags ; the bells were rung, guns 
fired, and every possible demonstration of respect 
and affection was exhibited on this novel and 
happy occasion. 

On the 24th, the Royal Sovereign yacht sailed 
from Dover at one, with the King of France, in 
presence of an immense concourse of delighted 
spectators. The Prince Regent, with Lord Yar- 
mouth and Colonel Bloomfield, having taken leave 
of the King, came ashore from the yacht, when he 



342 

was received with a royal salute from the whole 
line of troops along the pier and the shore. 

The Royal Sovereign getting under weigh, 
passed the pier-head under a salute from all the 
batteries ; and the Prince Regent, who had taken 
his station at the farthest point of the pier, 
cheered the vessel as she passed, in which he was 
accompanied by the vast concourse of spectators 
of all classes. It would be difficult to describe 
the feelings to which such a scene gave birth. 

Its novelty and importance, the various cir- 
cumstances attending the principal persons con- 
cerned in it, contributed to render it impressive 
and interesting in the highest degree ; tears and 
acclamations were mingled, and every body ap- 
peared to be deeply affected. The yacht on reach- 
ing the roads was received by a royal salute from 
the men-of-war stationed there, one of which was 
the Jason, bearing the flag of his Royal Highness 
the Duke of Clarence. When the yacht reached 
the French coast, which she did in less than four 
hours, she was saluted by the Duke of Clarence's 
flag-ship, and all the other vessels of the fleet ; 
on her approaching the harbour, a tremendous 



343 

roar of cannon was continued for two hours along 
the whole coast, which from Calais to Boulogne 
appeared in one entire blaze. The Duke of 
Clarence having now performed his high and 
gratifying commission, immediately sailed back 
for England. 

On the 8th of June, the Emperor of Russia and 
the King of Prussia paid a visit of gratitude to 
this country, which they termed the saviour of 
Europe in the late important struggle. Every 
distinction which could do honor to the King of 
a great people, in his reception and entertainment 
of such illustrious guests, was lavished on the 
royal visitors. Among the many remarkable 
characters that visited England at this interesting 
period, the attention of the public was especially 
directed to the veteran Field-Marshal Blucher, 
who on his arrival at Carlton House, at six in the 
afternoon of the 8th of June, was received by 
Colonels Bloomfield and Congreve, who came 
out uncovered, and conducted him to the grand 
entrance. A great multitude of persons got into 
the court-yard and the hall, and the prince, 
after a few minutes' interview with Marshal 



344 

Blucher, in his private apartments, returned with 
the gallant veteran to the centre of the grand hall, 
where, surrounded by the people, he adorned 
his respected guest with a portrait of himself, 
set in diamonds, and attached to a blue riband. 
The Marshal knelt while the prince was bestow- 
ing this mark of honor, and on rising, kissed his 
Royal Highnesses hand. The prince and the 
Field-Marshal bowed to the public, who replied 
with shouts of acclamation and delight. 

The numerous and brilliant fetes given to the 
illustrious strangers, would, if thoroughly de- 
scribed, themselves fill a volume, and cannot be 
detailed here. The illuminations in the metro- 
polis for three successive nights, were of extra- 
ordinary splendor. On the 9th was one of the 
most brilliant courts ever held at Carlton House. 
Besides the two sovereigns, there were many 
foreign princes, and numbers of the most distin- 
guished officers of the allied armies. On this 
occasion, the King of Prussia was invested with 
the insignia of the Order of the Garter. The 
Emperor Alexander had been invested with the 
same the preceding year in Germany. 



345 

The Prince Regent and his illustrious guests 
visited Oxford, where the Emperor, the King, 
and some of their attendants, one of whom was 
Blucher, received honorary degrees. Splendid 
banquets were given in their honor at Merchant 
Taylors* Hall, by the merchants and bankers, 
and at Guildhall, by the Lord Mayor and Cor- 
poration. Guildhall was fitted up with a degree 
of grandeur unparalleled on any preceding occa- 
sion, and the vast interior of that noble hall 
presented a scene of magnificence and taste com- 
bined, which will never be forgotten by those 
who had the fortune to witness it. 

On the 20th, there was a grand review of 
regular troops and volunteers, in Hyde Park, 
which appeared to give the sovereigns and their 
suite great satisfaction. But the sight most cal- 
culated to impress them with a high idea of the 
greatness of Britain, and to shew the sovereign 
of the United Kingdom in his greatest glory, was 
a naval review at Portsmouth, of a fleet of eighty 
men of war. Two entire days were spent by the 
sovereigns in viewing the harbour, the immense 
naval establishments, and the stupendous machi- 



346 

nery of that port. The Emperor Alexander, 
with the Duchess of Oldenburg, his sister, the 
King of Prussia, and his two sons, embarked at 
Dover, on the 27th, to return to the continent, 
highly gratified with their three weeks' visit to 
this country. 

After all these scenes of congratulation and 
triumph, it is most painful to have to recur to a 
renewal of those domestic dissensions between 
the Prince Regent and the Princess of Wales, 
which unhappily fill so large a space in the his- 
tory of His late Majesty's life. 

The Princess Charlotte of Wales having com- 
pleted her eighteenth year on the 7th of January, 
received the congratulations of the nobility at 
Warwick House, and went afterwards to Con- 
naught House, to spend the evening with the 
princess her mother. The interviews between 
the mother and daughter were, however, unfre- 
quent, and their intercourse restricted, of which 
the Princess of Wales complained bitterly. On 
the arrival of the allied sovereigns, a new dilemma 
arose. The necessity of bringing out the young 
princess was now become absolute, especially as 



347 

it was generally reported that a marriage had 
been proposed between her and the Prince of 
Orange ; a match which would have been highly- 
agreeable to the nation, as the prince had been 
entirely educated in this country, and was almost 
considered as an Englishman. The arrival of the 
illustrious strangers being now certain, notice was 
given that the Queen intended to hold two 
drawing-rooms at Buckingham House, which 
created no small bustle in the fashionable world. 
It has been asserted that the Queen intimated to 
the Princess of Wales, that she would be allowed 
to be present at one only ; and that the princess 
wrote to the Queen that she intended to be pre- 
sent at both. Her Majesty informed her by a letter 
dated the 23rd of May, that her son, the Prince 
Regent, had communicated to her, that he had 
" considered his own presence at the court, 
before the foreign sovereigns, not to be dispensed 
with ; and that he desired it to be understood, 
for reasons of which he alone could be the judge, 
to be his fixed and unalterable determination not 
to meet the Princess of Wales upon any occasion, 
either public or private." The princess wrote a 



348 

remonstrance to Her Majesty, and requested her 
to inform the foreign princes of the reasons of 
her not appearing at court ; and she sent a 
very spirited letter to his Royal Highness, in 
which she said, " I have been declared innocent, 
and I will not submit to be treated as guilty." 
The princess complained of the hardship of 
being excluded from seeing these illustrious 
strangers, and particularly the Prince of Orange, 
who had already announced himself to her as her 
son-in-law. She said that she would wave her 
right, in a case where she was not bound to assert 
it, in order to relieve the Queen from the embar- 
rassment in which she was placed by his Royal 
Highness's resolution. The princess declared, 
however, that to justify herself in the eyes of the 
world, she should publish the correspondence. 
Accordingly it appeared in the public papers, 
and she sent copies of the letters to the Speaker 
of the House of Commons, which gave rise to 
some warm debates. One new fact was urged 
by Lord Castlereagh, namely, the existence of a 
document, signed by both the royal parties, and 
witnessed by the King, the Queen, and ministers, 



349 

where a lasting separation was mutually agreed 
on, where the cause appeared to be fully under- 
stood, and the wish common to both parties, and 
in which the bare possibility of a reunion was not 
even contemplated. A salary of £50,000 per 
annum was proposed for the princess, but it was 
reduced by her own desire to £35,000. 

The differences between the Prince Regent and 
the Princess of Wales caused his Royal Highness 
some pain on account of the Princess Charlotte, 
who on several occasions took part with her 
mother in opposition to his wishes. This led to 
some very remarkable transactions. Determined 
that she should be more immediately under his 
own eye, in the year 1814, on the 12th of July, 
the Prince Regent visited Warwick House, and 
informed the Princess Charlotte, that he was 
come to dismiss all her household, and that she 
must immediately take up her residence in Carl- 
ton House, and from thence go to Cranbourn 
Lodge; and that five ladies, whom he named, 
amongst whom were the Countess Dowager of 
Rosslyn, and the Countess of Ilchester, were in 
the next room in readiness to wait upon her. 



350 

After some expostulation on the part of the Prin- 
cess Charlotte, the prince remaining firm and 
resolute, she appeared to acquiesce in his deter- 
mination; but pleading a wish to retire for a 
moment, to compose herself before she was intro- 
duced to the ladies, she was permitted to do so ; 
and whilst the Prince was engaged in close con- 
versation with Miss Knight, a lady of the Princess 
Charlotte's household, she, in an agony of despair, 
privately left Warwick House, and throwing her- 
self into a hackney coach, in Cockspur-street, 
drove to Connaught House, the residence of her 
mother. Here she found that the Princess of 
Wales was gone to Blackheath. She despatched a 
servant to meet her ; and threw herself on a bed, 
exclaiming, " I would rather earn my bread, and 
live upon five shillings a- week, than live the life 
I do." Before the Princess of Wales arrived, the 
Archbishop of Canterbury went to Connaught- 
place, to fetch the Princess Charlotte away; but 
Sicard, a faithful servant of the princess, refused 
to admit him. 

As soon as the discovery of the flight of the 
Princess Charlotte was made known to the Prince 



351 

Regent, he sent for the ministers, and a council 
was held at the Foreign Office, and also at Carl- 
ton House. The Archbishop of Canterbury not 
succeeding in the object of his mission to Con- 
naught House, the Duke of York was afterwards 
sent with a written message from the prince, con- 
taining her father's commands to bring her to 
Carlton House. 

On the arrival of the Princess of Wales from 
Blackheath, she drove immediately to the Parlia- 
ment House, and eagerly inquired for Mr. Whit- 
bread, who was absent ; she then inquired for 
Earl Grey, who was not in town; and, disap- 
pointed, she hastened to her own house in Con- 
naught-place, and had an affecting interview with 
her daughter, with whom she continued till three 
o'clock in the morning. Soon after this time the 
Princess Charlotte was conveyed, by the Duke 
of York, to Carlton House ; having been previ- 
ously informed by Mr. Brougham (who had been 
sent for by the Princess of Wales), that by the 
laws of the land, she must obey her father's com- 
mands. 

This affair of the Princess Charlotte excited 



352 

considerable anxiety in the public mind ; and on 
the 19th of July, his Royal Highness the Duke of 
Sussex put several questions to the ministers in 
the House of Lords, relative to the liberty which 
her Royal Highness enjoyed in Carlton House ; 
but they were not answered. The Duke gave 
notice of a motion on the subject, for a subse- 
quent day ; but, on the 25th, when it was to be 
discussed, it having appeared that the Princess 
Charlotte had been seen on horseback in Windsor 
Great Park, and that more lenient measures were 
about to be observed towards her, the Duke 
declined pressing his motion. 

Shortly after the singular escape of the Princess 
Charlotte from Warwick House, a report was in 
general circulation, that the Princess of Wales had 
determined to leave this country, and to retire to 
the continent, where her future abode was to be 
fixed. The truth of the report obtained confirma- 
tion, by a discussion which took place in the 
House of Commons, on the 30th of July; when it 
appeared that her Royal Highness had given 
notice to His Majesty's ministers, that she 
intended to visit the continent; and Lord Cas- 



353 

tlereagh, by whom this information was commu- 
nicated, added, that he was persuaded the House, 
in voting the addition to the income of her Royal 
Highness, had no design of imprisoning her in this 
country, or of preventing her from residing 
wherever she preferred. 

It was on the 25th of July that the Princess of 
Wales signified to Lord Liverpool, and to Mr. 
Whitbread, who had been her constant advocate, 
her intention of quitting England for a season, 
and making a tour on the continent. Lord 
Liverpool having, as she desired, communicated 
her wishes to the Prince Regent, his lordship 
informed her, on the 28th, that the prince had 
ordered him to acquaint her Royal Highness, that 
he could have no objection to her visiting her 
native country, and the Duke of Brunswick, her 
brother; and that he would never throw any 
obstacles in the way of her intentions respecting 
the place where she might wish to reside, whether 
in this country or on the continent. His lordship 
adds, by the prince's command, that his Royal 
Highness is not persuaded that considerations of 
the circumstances inAvhich the princess is placed, 

2 A 



354 

were an obstacle to the intended marriage of the 
Princess Charlotte to the Prince of Orange ; and, 
secondly, that the prince never interfered to pre- 
vent the allied sovereigns visiting her when they 
were in London. 

Shortly after this, the Princess of Wales left 
England for the continent. She sailed from 
"Worthing on the 9th of August, 1814, in the Jason 
frigate, and was landed at Hamburgh. She had 
ten ladies and gentlemen in her suite. Abroad, 
she travelled under the title of Countess of Corn- 
wall. Nothing could tend more to tranquillise 
the royal family than this event ; but the prince 
vainly hoped from it an increase of harmony 
between him and his daughter. Whether there 
was any truth in the report, that it had been inti- 
mated to the Princess Charlotte, that, in case of 
her marriage, she would be restricted from all 
intercourse with her mother— or, as others said, 
that she would be required to reside wholly in 
Holland — and that this was the first ground of her 
objection to the match — cannot be positively 
affirmed; but it is certain that she had seen, 
during the visit of the sovereigns, his Royal High- 



355 

ness Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, for whom 
she conceived a great regard, and to whom she 
was subsequently united. 

Though, during the two last months, the me- 
tropolis had presented an almost uninterrupted 
succession of splendid ffites, all referring to the 
late great events, it was resolved that there 
should be another of a more general description, 
in which all the public might partake; and it 
was determined to connect the festivity with the 
accession of the House of Brunswick, by choosing 
the 1st of August, as being the anniversary of the 
day on which that auspicious event had taken 
place one hundred years before. The three parks 
were judiciously chosen for the scene of this 
national jubilee, which, as the weather was beau- 
tiful, deservedly gave great satisfaction ; but of 
which even an abridged description would occupy 
much more space than could be allotted to it 
here. 

The treaty of Paris was signed on the 30th of 
May, 1814. The boundaries of France were 
guaranteed to her as in 1792, with some additions ; 
the House of Orange was recognised in its sove- 

2 a2 



356 

reign capacity; the German states united in a 
federal league; Switzerland remained indepen- 
dent, but Italy was placed beneath the sceptre 
of Austria. The navigation of the Rhine was 
declared free. Great Britain restored to France 
part of her conquests ; Malta was confirmed to 
England ; France engaged to erect no fortresses 
in India, and to co-operate with England in the 
abolition of the slave-trade. This treaty pro- 
duced the most lively satisfaction, and the con- 
course of spectators to witness the ceremony of 
proclaiming the peace by the heralds, on the 
20th of June, was very great. 

On the 7th of July, the inhabitants of the 
metropolis were gratified with another splendid 
pageant— the Prince Regent, with the two Houses 
of Parliament, the royal dukes, the foreign am- 
bassadors, &c. &c. going in state to St. Paul's, 
to return thanks to Divine Providence, for the 
restoration of the blessings of peace to this coun- 
try and to Europe. On the 21st of the same 
month, the Prince Regent gave a magnificent 
f£te at Carlton House, to the Duke of Wellington. 

Amidst the general satisfaction of the people 



357 

with the peace, there were persons who blamed 
many of the particulars relative to other coun- 
tries, and above all, as far as England was con- 
cerned, the fate of Norway. 

At the time when Denmark was at war with 
England, it had been resolved, in order to induce 
Sweden to join the confederacy against France, the 
kingdom of Norway should be taken from Den- 
mark, and annexed to the former power, to which 
the quiet possession of it was guaranteed by Eng- 
land and Russia. The Norwegians, incensed at 
being thus made subject to the Swedes, whom they 
detested, resisted, and chose a King of their own, 
resolving to be independent. To compel their 
submission to the Crown Prince of Sweden, who 
entered Norway with an army, an English squa- 
dron was employed to enforce a rigorous block- 
ade of the whole coast. The Norwegians were 
in the end obliged to submit, but on very 
honorable terms ; the two crowns of Sweden and 
Norway were indeed placed on the same head, 
but Norway retains its own constitution, and its 
own national representation, or diet. 

During the course of this session of Parliament, 



358 

the commander-in-chief of the British armies in 
the Peninsula took his seat in the House of Lords, 
under the title of the Duke of Wellington. 
A grant of £10,000 a-year, to be at any time 
commuted for £300,000, and a sum of £100,000 
in addition, were immediately voted to him, with 
the thanks of both Houses. 

The triumphant speech of the regent at the 
close of this session was deeply interesting. He 
lamented the continuance of His Majesty's indis- 
position ; he had, he said, adhered to the line of 
policy adopted by the King, and had the satisfac- 
tion of beholding the full accomplishment of all 
the objects for which the war was undertaken, or 
continued, and the final deliverance of Europe 
from the most oppressive tyranny. 

Before the close of this eventful year, a treaty 
was signed with America, and both hemispheres 
were once more united in the bonds of peace. 
This epoch in the annals of Great Britain, con- 
cludes the fifth year of the regency ; and how 
enviable among the nations must have been the 
station of that prince, who, having wielded with 
restricted powers the energies of this great empire 



359 

for so short a period, had been enabled to quell 
domestic faction, to disappoint the malignity of 
political prophecy, to exalt his personal character 
in the eyes of his people, to raise a spirit in 
Europe which crushed the hydra of usurping 
power — directed by the most insatiable ambition, 
and the most extraordinary talent — to enforce 
justice, to restore right, to extend mercy, and, 
finally, to establish universal peace! 

Thus the year 1814 terminated with the pros- 
pect of a durable peace to this country, and of a 
general settlement of the affairs of the continent, 
which, if not wholly consonant to the feelings and 
wishes of the friends to the independence of 
nations, seemed to promise considerable improve- 
ment in the system of European politics; to regu- 
late which, a congress of almost all the sovereigns, 
and of the most eminent statesmen of Europe, 
was actually sitting at Vienna; when universal 
astonishment was excited by the unlooked for, 
and almost incredible news, that Napoleon had 
succeeded in leaving Elba unobstructed by the 
English squadron; that he had landed without 
opposition in France, and was pursuing his 



360 

triumphant march to Paris, where he arrived on 
the 20th of March, to commence his short, but 
fatal reign of a hundred days. The events of that 
extraordinary period, in which history makes 
even romance seem tame, are so deeply im- 
pressed on the hearts of all those, whose favored 
lot made them contemporaries of that proudest 
period of Britain's glory, that in the room of 
that detail, for which this is not the place, a bare 
allusion to them will suffice. 

Amidst the afflicting scene that France dis- 
played, in the fickleness of part of the people, and 
in the treachery and selfishness of thousands who 
had but lately sworn allegiance to their mild and 
lawful sovereign, it is refreshing to the heart to 
turn to the heroic daughter of Louis XVI. the 
worthy descendant of a long line of kings. " The 
Duchess of Angouleme," says an able writer, 
" whose austerity might have become the inmate 
of a cloister, and whose views seemed fixed upon 
a heavenly throne, gave another bright example 
of the native energy and innate courage which 
warms the breast of woman, when inspired by 
love and duty to the exercise of virtues unlooked 



361 

for in her sex, but not incompatible with feminine 
grace and gentleness. While the princes of her 
family were pursuing half measures — in one breath 
threatening the unresisted enemy, and wooing 
their ill-disposed followers — this exalted lady 
assembled the officers of the royal army at Bor- 
deaux, addressed them in words of fire, and set 
them an example of devotedness, enough to have 
infused a soul into a host of statues bearing the 
forms of men. But when she found her eloquence 
disregarded, and her injunctions disobeyed, she 
cast upon them a look of virtuous indignation ; 
threw to the ground before them the emblem of 
their treachery, the white cockade, which she 
had given them as a pledge of loyalty ; and, with 
the voice and spirit of her ancestors, exclaimed, 
* I see your fears — you are cowards — I absolve you 
from the oaths you have taken; then, turning her 
horse, she rode away almost alone, and sought 
protection beneath the flag of England.' " 

Meantime the allied sovereigns, still happily 
assembled in Congress at Vienna, issued a joint 
declaration, proclaiming Napoleon as out of the 
pale of the law of nations, and concluded a treaty 



362 

by which Russia, England, Austria, and Prussia 
engaged to bring into the field each 150,000 men, 
and never to lay down their arms except by 
common concurrence, nor to abandon the contest 
till the object should have been attained. For- 
tunately the armies of the great powers, that were 
still on their march homewards, after the conclu- 
sion of peace the year before, were still within 
reach, and orders were immediately sent for them 
to turn back, and proceed by forced marches to 
the frontiers of France. Even now that almost 
every circumstance of that crisis is known in its 
minutest detail, the mind is overpowered by the 
contemplation of the great events which followed 
each other in such rapid succession in the space 
of a few short months— the arrival and triumphant 
march of Napoleon, the flight of the royal family, 
the prompt decision of the allies, the concentra- 
tion of the hostile armies in Belgium, the tremen- 
dous conflict of Waterloo, and its consequences. 
In all the accounts hitherto published of this 
campaign, it has been almost uniformly asserted 
that the Duke of Wellington was entirely taken 
by surprise, and that he was at a ball at the 



363 

Duchess of Richmond's, when the news of the 
advance of the French was first brought to him : 
this false assertion has lately been refuted, by 
shewing that the duke had resolved on attending 
that ball, with his officers, lest any alarm should 
be caused by his absence; but that he had 
ordered his officers to retire successively, as 
silently as possible, and to repair to their several 
destinations. To this another fact may be here 
added, from the highest authority. The Duke of 
Wellington had been at Blucher's head-quarters 
before the battle of Ligny; he pointed out to 
Blucher the danger of his position, exposed, as 
it appeared to him to be, to batteries which the 
enemy, he conceived, had placed at a certain 
spot. After leaving Blucher, his grace said to an 
officer of high rank, while on his way to Brussels, 
"Those fellows I have just left are likely to get 
a severe thrashing, if they remain where they 
are." 

Though Napoleon and his panegyrists have 
taken much pains to prove, that if he was con- 
quered, he had done every thing to deserve 
victory ; and that if Wellington was victorious, 



364 

he had committed every possible fault to merit 
defeat; the truth is, that he never would have 
commenced the battle, had he not been morally 
certain of gaining it. The superiority of numbers, 
of artillery, perhaps even of position, was on his 
side. He commanded an army of one nation, led 
by generals accustomed to victory under his 
guidance, with the consciousness of having gained 
a great victory over the veteran Blucher but just 
before. Napoleon, in fact, began the battle with 
the utmost confidence, eager to snatch the laurels 
from the brows of one whom he had long wished to 
meet face to face, and to triumph over him, whose 
talents had baffled his ablest generals. He came 
to measure swords with Wellington. What 
efforts, surpassed only by those which rendered 
them unavailing, were made to insure success ! 
What torrents of blood were spilt to add this 
most glorious triumph to the long catalogue of his 
trophies ! How changed in a few short hours was 
his situation! In the morning, towering in the 
pride of his hope ; in the evening, he who had 
twice before clandestinely eloped from his army, 
the deserter of Egypt and Smorgonie, for the 



365 

third time abandoned his brave men, who had 
left all for him, and on the third day after the 
battle, reached Paris, to tell his associates in 
perfidy, that he had lost his army, his honor, his 
fame, and his crown, and out of the mighty wreck 
had saved — himself! 

On the 3rd of July, only fifteen days after 
the battle, Paris capitulated to the troops of 
Great Britain and Prussia; and on the 8th, 
Louis XVIII. again made his entry into his capi- 
tal, amidst the deceitful, but no longer deceiving, 
welcomes of an overawed and dissatisfied people. 
But where again was he who had been the cause 
of all these scenes ? After skulking a few days 
about the coast, waiting for the chance of events, 
and failing to secure an escape to America, he 
adopted the bold resolution of throwing himself 
on the mercy of England, and of suing for his life 
and liberty, to the people whom he had so often 
denounced as the enemies of the human race, and 
threatened with conquest and extermination. It 
is probable that he never expected that his appeal 
to the magnanimity of the Prince Regent, would 
be attended to ; but it served, in the sequel, as a 



366 

theme of declamation for himself and his adhe- 
rents, and of which due advantage was taken by 
them. That no pledge was broken by convey- 
ing him to St. Helena, is indisputable, because 
none was given. Exile to an island which all 
previous accounts had represented in a favorable 
light, with a numerous suite of attendants, and 
with every gratification that could be procured, 
except the pursuits of ambition, seems to be no 
very hard lot for one who had so wantonly broken 
the peace of the world ; yet he and his adherents 
had art enough to induce many persons to 
believe that the English government had acted 
most unjustifiably, in sending him to such a fatal 
climate as it was now represented to be, and that 
he was treated in his unmerited exile with great 
and uncalled for rigour. With respect to the 
injustice of sending him to St. Helena, the writer 
of this work has had in his hands a document, 
purporting to be a treaty between Great Britain, 
Russia, Austria, and Prussia, concluded before 
the battle of Waterloo, by which it was stipulated 
that if, in the course of the war, Napoleon should 
be captured, he should be considered as the 



367 

prisoner of the four allied powers, and not of the 
one by whose troops he might be taken ; that he 
should not be either confined in prison, or suf- 
fered to reside in the European, or continental 
dominions of either of the four powers, but be sent 
to St. Helena, and there remain, with only such 
restrictions as should be judged necessary to pre- 
vent his escaping. 

At the beginning of this year, the Prince 
Regent, in commemoration of the auspicious 
termination (as it was then supposed) of the long 
and arduous contests in which the empire had 
been engaged, was pleased to make an entirely 
new statute for the Order of the Bath. 

At the very moment of the panic in France, 
created by Napoleon's march to Paris, the spirit 
of insurrection burst out in acts of riot and 
destruction in the city of London. The cause of 
these disturbances was, that never-failing source 
of discord, the Corn Bill. Much mischief was 
committed during the tumult, and some lives 
were afterwards sacrificed to justice: a fall in 
the prices of corn, and a plentiful harvest, how- 
ever, pacified the public mind. 



368 

On the 12th of August this year, the Prince 
Regent's birthday was, for the first time, cele- 
brated in the same manner, and with similar cir- 
cumstances of pomp and distinction, as that of the 
King. On the 29th of the same month, the Duke 
of Cumberland, who had been previously married 
at Berlin to the Princess of Salms, was again 
married at Carlton House, according to the rites 
of the English Church. The Prince Regent, in a 
message of the 27th of June, had announced this 
marriage, and called on Parliament to make a 
suitable provision for their Royal Highnesses. 
Lord Liverpool stated the intended provision to 
be an addition of £6000 a year to the duke's 
income, and a jointure to the same amount for 
the duchess. It appeared that the match was 
disapproved by the Queen, though the princess 
was her niece, and that she was not received at 
court. This led to some animated debates in the 
Commons, which ended in the proposed addition 
being refused by a majority of one. The ground 
of the opposition was, that if the Queen disap- 
proved of the marriage, there must be some just 
objection to it. 



369 

Notwithstanding the real distress that prevailed* 
in consequence of the immense exertions that had 
been made for a quarter of a century, the grati- 
tude of the nation was manifested in the most 
splendid manner by the subscription made in 
favor of the brave men wounded in the late cam- 
paign, and of the widows and orphans of the 
slain. The whole sum, called the Waterloo 
Fund, amounted in the end to above half-a-million 
of money. 

Napoleon Buonaparte, with a numerous suite, 
arrived off Torbay on the 24th of July, on board 
the Bellerophon, Captain Maitland, to whom he 
had surrendered ; in the beginning of August, 
he was removed to the Northumberland, to be 
conveyed to St. Helena. 

During the visit of the Emperors of Austria and 
Russia, and the King of Prussia, at Paris, in 1815, 
the Emperor Alexander, at the suggestion, as it 
seems, of a female enthusiast, well known as the 
Baroness de Krudener, conceived a plan of an 
association between the Christian princes, by 
which they should bind themselves to govern 
their subjects with justice and equity. This con- 

2 B 



376 

vention, known by the name of the Holy Alliance, 
which, however, was not given to it by its authors, 
was acceded to by most of the other sovereigns 
of Europe. The Prince Regent, on being asked 
to join in it, wrote to each of the three sovereigns 
the following letter : — 

" Carlton Bouse, Oct 6, 1815. 

" My dear Brother and Cousin, 

" I have had the honor to receive Your 
Majesty's letter, together with the copy of the 
treaty between Your Majesty and your high allies, 
signed at Paris on the 26th of September. As 
the forms of the British Constitution, which I am 
called upon to maintain, in the name and in the 
place of the King, my father, prevent me from 
acceding to the treaty in the form in which it is 
laid before me, I choose this way to convey to the 
august sovereigns who have signed it, my entire 
concurrence in the principles which they have 
expressed, and in the declaration which they 
have made, that they will take the divine precepts 
of the Christian religion as the unalterable rule of 
their conduct, in all their social and political con- 



371 

nections, and confirm the union which should 
always exist between all Christian nations. It 
will be ever my serious endeavour to guide 
my conduct, in the situation in which Divine 
Providence has placed me, according to these 
holy principles, and to co-operate with my 
high allies in all measures which are calcu- 
lated to contribute to the peace and welfare of 
mankind. 

" I remain, with the most unalterable feelings 
of friendship and regard, my dear brother and 
cousin, 

" Your Majesty's brother and cousin, 
(Signed) 

" George, P. R." 

It is perhaps a subject of congratulation, that 
the forms of our constitution did not admit of a 
compliance with the request of the three sove- 
reigns, as the prince might possibly have acceded 
to it, which would have placed him in a situation 
of some embarrassment at a subsequent period, 
when measures were adopted by the parties to 
this alliance, which were wholly adverse to the 

2 b2 



372 

sentiments of His Majesty, and to the principles 
of the English government. 

It is foreign to the purpose of this work to 
relate the events that occurred in France, unless 
they have some particular bearing on the subject. 
Such is the decision of the allied powers to strip 
the Museum of the Louvre, that grand repository 
of the spoils of plundered nations, of its ill-gotten 
treasures, and to restore them to their rightful 
owners. This magnificent collection had been 
left untouched the preceding year, from a laud- 
able wish in the allies to do nothing that might 
make the restored family unpopular ; but as their 
moderation had been thrown away, Marshal 
Blucher resolved to take back all the spoils from 
the Prussian dominions ; the Dutch and the 
Austrians claimed their share, and the Duke of 
Wellington thought it incumbent on him to 
second them, and also to enforce the restoration 
of the works of art belonging to the Pope, and 
the other Italian sovereigns. The Prince Regent 
gave, on this occasion, a remarkable and most 
honorable proof of disinterestedness and genero- 
sity. In consequence of the heavy expense that 



373 

would attend the removal of the celebrated statues, 
the Apollo Belvidere, &c. and the carriage to 
Rome, the Pope offered them to the Prince 
Regent, who, in reply, said that however gratify- 
ing it would be to him to possess some of these 
inestimable productions, he could not take advan- 
tage of the necessity of the owners, and would, 
therefore, give orders for the payment of all the 
charges incidental to their conveyance to Italy. 
The deprivation of these treasures was, perhaps, 
the most sensible mortification that French vanity 
received, and was almost more felt than the pay- 
ment of an indemnity of seven hundred millions of 
francs to the allies, and the military occupation 
of some of their chief fortresses by the allied 
troops for five years. 

But the joy of the nation over its warlike 
renown was turned into distress and discontent, 
by the commercial difficulties, and the depression 
in the value of agricultural property, consequent 
on the peace. 

The session of 1816 was opened by commis- 
sion ; the speech of the Prince Regent was one 
of triumph for the events of the last year, and 



374 

concluded by expressing the determination of his 
Royal Highness to maintain the high character 
which the country had acquired with the world ; 
and a hope that union amongst the different clas- 
ses of the people, which had secured the peace 
of Europe, would continue to promote the pros- 
perity of the kingdom. Among the first acts of 
this Parliament was an address to the regent, 
conveying the entire approbation of the legislature 
to the measures of the executive authority in the 
several treaties that had secured the peace. The 
principles of justice and moderation on which the 
councils of his Royal Highness had been con- 
ducted, were greeted with a strong expression of 
the satisfaction of both Houses. 

The Prince Regent, after the rupture of the 
intended marriage with the Prince of Orange, did 
not long oppose his daughter's union with the 
Prince of'Saxe-Coburg. On the 14th of March 
a message was sent to the House of Commons* 
communicating the proposed alliance. This mes- 
sage was received with great satisfaction by both 
Houses, and the following provision was made 
for the young couple. In the first place, a grant 



375 

of £60,000 for the outfit of the royal pair ; an 
annual income of £60,000, the whole of which 
was to be continued to the princess, should she 
survive the prince; whilst £50,000 should be 
continued to him, in the event of his being the 
survivor. During their joint lives, £10,000 out of 
the £60,000 was to be annually paid to the prin- 
cess as her privy purse, and to be placed beyond 
the control of her husband. 

On the 21st of February, 1316, the Prince of 
Saxe-Coburg landed at Dover, and on the follow- 
ing day he proceeded to Brighton, where the 
Queen and the Princesses Elizabeth and Mary, 
with the Princess Charlotte, were on a visit to 
the Prince Regent, at the Pavilion. The recep- 
tion was private and cordial ; the Prince Regent 
threw off all the restraint of royal etiquette, and 
enjoyed the happiness of parental feelings on the 
marriage of a daughter. The whole party con- 
tinued together till the 5th of March, when the 
Queen and the Princesses Elizabeth and Mary 
left the Pavilion for Windsor, in order to superin- 
tend the decorations and arrangements necessary 
for the wedding. The Prince Regent thought 



376 

the marriage ought not to be delayed, and he 
resolved that it should be celebrated as early as 
possible ; but, unfortunately, a few days after the 
Queen had left the Pavilion to expedite the cere- 
monials, the Prince of Saxe-Coburg was taken 
very ill, and was confined to his room for about 
five weeks, to the middle of April. 

On the 26th of April, the birthday of the Prin- 
cess Mary, the Queen gave a splendid f&te at 
Frogmore, and the Prince Regent was publicly 
received by his daughter and his future son-in-law 
before the assembled nobility and gentry. That 
night the Prince Regent returned to London ; and 
on the 29th of April the whole party separated, 
to make arrangements for the immediate marriage. 
The Princess Charlotte repaired to Carlton House ; 
Prince Leopold to the apartments of the Duke of 
Clarence, at St. James's ; and the Queen and the 
Princesses to Buckingham Palace. The next 
day a drawing-room was held, in order to give 
Prince Leopold a public and official reception. 
The bridal dresses were privately exhibited, and 
the different members of the family interchanged 
splendid bridal presents. 



377 

At length the 2nd of May arrived. The con- 
course of people at the west end of the town 
was almost unprecedented. At four o'clock the 
Princess Charlotte left Carlton House to dine with 
the Queen at Buckingham Palace ; but so impos- 
sible was it to penetrate through the crowd in 
Pall Mall, that the coachman was obliged to 
return, and drive through the park. At half-past 
seven the whole of the royal party left Bucking- 
ham Palace for Carlton House, where they were 
conducted to the royal closet, together with 
Prince Leopold, and the Duke and Duchess of 
Orleans. When every thing was ready, the party 
left the royal closet, and proceeded in state to 
the great crimson room, which had been splen- 
didly fitted up, with that taste and knowledge of 
effect in decorations, in which the prince was 
known to excel all men. His Royal Highness 
received the Queen at the door of the crimson 
room, and conducted her to the chair of state at 
the right hand side of the altar. The lord cham- 
berlain then conducted Prince Leopold to the 
altar, and afterwards handed the Princess Char- 
lotte to the front of it, who was supported on the 



378 

other side by the Duke of Clarence. After the 
Archbishop of Canterbury had concluded the 
ceremony, the Princess Charlotte, with girlish 
ardor, and the warmth of natural feeling, em- 
braced her royal parent; and, as soon as this 
impulse of affection had subsided, she went and 
(stooping ceremoniously) kissed the Queen's hand 
with respectful gravity. Prince Leopold and 
his bride immediately set off for Oatlands, whilst 
the rest of the royal party left the crimson room 
for the royal closet, from which they shortly after 
proceeded to the great council chamber, where 
they received the usual congratulations of the 
nobility. 

On that day fortnight the Queen gave her grand 
drawing-room at Buckingham House, and which, 
owing to the immense assemblage, lasted from 
twelve to six o'clock in the afternoon. Notwith- 
standing the relief afforded by opening additional 
rooms, the crowd was great beyond precedent, 
and the pressure was most severely felt by the 
company. No person now living can remember 
so crowded a drawing-room. 

Whether the old King were sufficiently sensi- 



379 

ble to appreciate this marriage, or to sympathize 
with the joy of the family, may be a matter of 
doubt ; but about this time the Princess Eliza- 
beth, in a private letter to Lady Suffolk, her 
former governess, speaking of her venerable 
father, says, "If any thing can make us more 
easy under the calamity which it hath pleased 
heaven to inflict upon us, it is the apparent hap- 
piness that my revered father seems to feel ; he 
considers himself no longer an inhabitant of this 
world, and often, when he has played one of his 
favorite tunes, observes, that he was very fond of 
it when he was in the world. He speaks of the 
Queen and all his family, and hopes that they are 
doing well now, for he loved them very much 
when he was with them." 

About the time of this marriage of the Princess 
Charlotte, so improved was His Majesty in health, 
that his personal supervisors were reduced from 
six to two ; his pages attended upon him as in 
former times, and he dressed every day for dinner, 
with his stars and orders, as in earlier days ; but 
yet, this marriage of his granddaughter seems to 
have created in his mind an opposite train of delu 



380 

sive ideas. He was continually talking of cele- 
brating his own death, for he used to say, " I 
must have a new suit of clothes, and I will have 
them black, in memory of George III." 

Two months after the marriage of the Princess 
Charlotte, the long attachment of the Duke of 
Gloucester to his cousin, Princess Mary, termi- 
nated in a matrimonial union, with the direct 
approbation of the Prince Regent. 

This may probably be considered as in many 
respects the happiest period in the life of His late 
Majesty. The Princess of Wales was at a distance, 
and the political safety of the country had been 
achieved almost miraculously; he was virtually 
the reigning sovereign of Great Britain; his love 
of splendor was profusely gratified by the minis- 
try ; and, lastly, his daughter was married to one 
in whom centered her private affections, and 
every source of public convenience and political 
advantages. Alas! how soon were these most 
brilliant prospects to fade ! 

The Prince Regent even now began to indulge 
in those habits of seclusion, which in the latter 
years of his life, so continually withdrew him 



381 

from the eye of the people : his visits, except to 
the Marquises of Hertford and Conyngham, 
were few and far between ; and his courts and 
public parties were very infrequent. His prin- 
cipal occupations were in the superintendence of 
the improvements and alterations of his different 
places of residence. The expenditure upon the 
interior of Carlton House was very great. On 
one occasion, after a room had been superbly 
decorated, a principal device being that of large 
golden eagles in each corner, and which produced 
a very superb effect, Sir Edmund Nagie suggested 
(what, indeed, was sufficiently obvious) that the 
eagle was the ornament used so profusely by the 
Emperor Napoleon in all his decorations, both 
military and civil. This was conclusive: the 
eagles were removed, and very large gilt shells 
were substituted. 

The great political event of this year of the 
regency was the bombardment of Algiers. The 
Dey rejected the demand of the Regent of Eng- 
land, that, for the future, captives in battle should 
not be condemned to slavery. An attack was 
made on a settlement at Bona, on the coast of 



382 

Algiers, which is under the protection of the 
British flag. It is uncertain whether the wanton 
outrages committed in this attack were sanctioned 
by the Dey, or were only the effect of national 
antipathy in an unbridled and licentious soldiery ; 
however, to enforce his demand, and to punish 
this insult, the regent appointed Lord Exmouth 
to the command of a fleet of ten sail, with many 
smaller vessels, for the express purpose of forcing 
the Algerines to aid in the common cause of 
humanity, for the abolition of slavery. 

In the attack upon Algiers, Lord Exmouth 
was ably seconded by a Dutch squadron, under 
Admiral Van der Capellen. The Algerines fought 
with great steadiness and courage, and the loss 
sustained by the English was very great; but the 
Dey was obliged to make his submission, to save 
his city from total destruction. The demands of 
the Prince Regent were, in consequence, com- 
plied with, the stipulated conditions agreed to, 
and the admiral sailed from Algiers on the 3rd of 
September, with the cheering conviction that he 
had not left behind him one Christian prisoner. 

This is, perhaps, the only great battle, or, at 



383 

all events, one of the few on record, undertaken 
from the purest motives of humanity — to obtain a 
general good by a partial evil. It is illustrative 
of the character of the regent, as well as of the 
great nation he governed. 

In the month of July, this year, the prince lost 
the friend of his youth, the companion of his 
pleasures, and his attached and confidential 
servant, R. B. Sheridan, who died in poverty, 
harassed by creditors, and neglected by the majo- 
rity of his great friends, in the sixty-fifth year of 
his age — a memorable and affecting proof of the 
insufficiency of splendid talents, patriotic inten- 
tions, and amiable and affectionate conduct in 
the relations of domestic life, to insure happiness 
and respect, if unaccompanied by steadiness of 
conduct, and rectitude of principle. " The moral 
of his tale," as Mr. Moore truly observes, " is 
t Nullum numen abest si sit prudential " 

The Prince Regent had at different periods 
been the object of great and almost general 
unpopularity. At this time great discontents 
prevailed. It had become evident, that plenty 
and prosperity are not always the concomitants 



384 

of peace; and the excitement, under which 
immense sums were lavished away, having sub- 
sided, the nation, in its sober judgment, began to 
feel and to repent its extravagance; the period of 
suffering commenced. 

At the opening of the session of Parliament, 
1817, the Regent, in his speech from the throne, 
alluded to the discontents, and to their cause, 
which he lamented was of a nature not to admit 
of an immediate remedy. He praised the for- 
titude of the people in the trials they endured ; 
expressed his persuasion, that the great sources 
of national prosperity continued essentially un- 
impaired; and his confident expectation that the 
native energy of the country would, at no distant 
period, surmount all the difficulties in which it 
was involved. 

A distressing comment on the speech imme- 
diately followed its delivery. The prince, on his 
return from the House, through the park, was 
fired at from among the crowd, by some traitor, 
with an air-gun, the bullets of which broke the 
windows of the carriage. This attempt upon his 
life, and the marked demonstrations of discontent 



385 

and anger with which he was received by the 
populace, being immediately communicated to 
both Houses, measures founded on the commu- 
nication were instantly adopted. The act for the 
security of His Majesty's person, passed in 1795, 
was extended to the person of the Prince Regent, 
while the various laws with regard to tumultuous 
meetings, debating societies, and the suspension 
of the Habeas Corpus Act, were consolidated 
into a new form, to strengthen the hands of 
ministers. 

In the above year, a gentleman, who, resid- 
ing near Windsor, frequently hunted with His 
Majesty's stag-hounds, and was consequently 
known, by sight at least, to the King, happened 
to be in the park, near the state-coach, and seized 
on the spot, a miscreant who had raised his arm 
against his sovereign. This timely interposition 
saved His Majesty from imminent danger, and it 
was thought right that some reward should be be- 
stowed on him for this service. Accordingly, he 
was desired to call on Mr. Secretary Dundas, and to 
state in what manner government could acknow- 
ledge the service he had rendered. To this he 

2c 



38C 

pleasantly replied, "Make me a Scotchman, and 
then I can ask for whatever I like." The King, 
on hearing this anecdote, was highly diverted at 
the joke. A place with a salary of £1500 a year 
was given to him. 

Societies of the most mischievous tendency 
had been formed in the metropolis, with branches 
all over the country, and government judged it 
necessary to appoint a secret committee to inves- 
tigate the subject. This committee, whose report 
caused great alarm, was extremely unpopular, 
and many of the most respectable members 
attacked it with great seventy. The Habeas 
Corpus Act was suspended for a season, and other 
measures adopted in this dangerous crisis. 

This year, the celebration of the regent's birth 
was altered from the 1 2th of August, the natal day, 
to the 23rd of April, the anniversary of St. George. 
The respect that the prince always manifested 
towards his tutors has been already noticed. 
About the end of June this year, his Royal 
Highness paid a visit to Dr. Cyril Jackson, at his 
residence in Sussex. The prince conversed with 
him in the kindest manner, and expressed much 






387 

concern at seeing him in so enfeebled a state. 
The venerable dean was much gratified by the 
attention of his royal pupil, and at parting gave 
him his thanks and blessing. 

On Monday, the 8th of September, 1817, the 
Prince Regent commenced his aquatic excursions 
from Brighton, and remained at sea ten hours. 
On Wednesday, accompanied by Admirals Camp- 
bell and Nagle, Lord William Gordon, Sir 
William Keppel, the Honorable Captain Paget, 
and Captain Horace Seymour, his Royal Highness 
embarked on board the Royal George yacht, 
under salutes from the Tyber, Inconstant, Rosario, 
Grecian, Viper, and Hound : and at half-past one 
the ships went through all the manoeuvres of an 
engagement. At night the vessels stood out to 
sea, and the next morning were off Dieppe; 
where, communication being had, the yacht and 
squadron crossed the channel again, and reached 
Brighton on Saturday, when the prince landed. 
On disembarking, the prince presented Captain 
Paget with a most elegant snuff-box, in testimony 
of his high gratification and esteem. So great, 
indeed, was the pleasure that his Royal Highness 

2 c2 



388 

felt, that among other gracious intimations of 
attachment to the naval service, he said, that if 
he should land at any other place than Brighton, 
he would wear the full-dress uniform of an 
admiral, and which he should continue to wear 
at his levees, alternately with the military dress. 

It was on this occasion, that the present 
Marquis of Hertford, then Earl of Yarmouth, 
laid a wager with Sir Edward Nagle, that the 
prince would not sleep one night at sea. By 
way of punishing him, the prince remained out 
three or four nights. The terms were £100 for 
every night. Lord Yarmouth complained that 
he had not been fairly dealt with, and that the 
prince ought not to have been made acquainted 
with the bet. 

The agitated state of the country, after the 
attack on the Prince Regent, at the opening of 
Parliament, had a very sensible effect on the 
health of Her Majesty the Queen. On the 22nd 
of April, she had been interesting herself in the 
preparations for the drawing-room of the ensuing 
(St. George's) day ; when, during the night, she 
had an attack of too decided a character to be 



389 

mistaken, though the bulletin of next day passed 
it off merely as a cold. On the 3rd of November 
following, Her Majesty left Windsor Castle for 
Bath, in the forlorn hope, if not of a recovery of 
health, at least of an alleviation of pain. But 
an event was at hand, that was to give Her 
Majesty a severer shock. 

On the 6th of November, the death of the 
Princess Charlotte of Wales blasted the hopes of 
the nation. After a labour lingering rather than 
severe, her Royal Highness was delivered of a 
male child — still-born. At this period she was 
as well as usual in such cases; but a sudden alte- 
ration of the system induced great difficulty of 
breathing, restlessness, and exhaustion ; and she 
expired about half-past two in the morning. 

A despatch from Lord Sidmouth announced to 
Her Majesty, at four o'clock on the 6th, the first 
part of the mournful intelligence, with the con- 
solation, however, that her Royal Highness was 
doing well. The shock was extremely severe, 
but at six Her Majesty sat down to dinner, with 
her usual company of fourteen persons. During 
the dinner she was surprised at General Taylor's 



390 

suddenly leaving the room, upon a message being 
whispered to him by a servant. Presently the 
Countess of Ilchester was called from the table, 
in the same abrupt manner, and the truth struck 
the Queen's mind, and suddenly exclaiming, 
" I know what it is," she fell into a fit. 

The prince, who had been passing a few days 
at Sudbourn Hall, in Suffolk, the seat of the 
Marquis of Hertford, was sent for to town on the 
instant that the illness of the princess commenced. 
It has been stated that the accouchement was not 
expected so early by about ten days, long before 
which time the prince would have been in Lon- 
don, which it is proper to state, because many 
persons expressed surprise that he should be so 
far distant at such a moment. On his way to 
town he met two messengers with despatches, 
which however only announced the slow progress 
of the labour, and the apparent absence of dan- 
ger ; a third messenger missed him ; and it was 
not till his arrival at Carlton House, at half- past 
four o'clock on Thursday morning, that he heard 
from the Duke of York and Earl Bathurst the 
fatal intelligence, which threw him into a par- 



391 

oxysm that rendered it necessary to bleed him 
twice, besides cupping. 

Her Majesty and her whole party left Bath on 
Saturday morning, and on the next day, the 
Prince Regent, in a very private manner, repaired 
to her at Windsor Castle, where a most melan- 
choly day was spent by the royal family. 

All accounts agreed at the time in speaking 
in the highest terms of the behaviour of Prince 
Leopold on this melancholy occasion. His loss 
was indeed the most severe, and if he felt it like 
a man, he bore it like a Christian. The Prince 
Regent, on receiving the melancholy news from 
the Duke of York and Lord Bathurst, most con- 
siderately sent them to his son-in-law, to persuade 
him to accept an asylum in Carlton House, out of 
the way of the heart-breaking preparations for the 
funeral of his illustrious consort; but no persua- 
sions could induce the prince to leave the spot 
till the remains of his beloved princess were 
removed to their last resting-place. 

Mr. Dyke, a king's messenger, was despatched 
with this lamentable intelligence to the Princess 
of Wales, in Italy ; and the unexpected news 



392 

occasioned her the most bitter affliction. She 
raised a cenotaph to her memory in her garden 
at Pesaro ; and from this period her desire to visit 
England, and weep over the grave of her child, 
became incessant. 

The distress of the Prince Regent, and of the 
widowed husband, could be equalled only by 
the poignant grief that overwhelmed the whole 
nation : never, perhaps, did the death of an 
individual combine in itself so many causes cal- 
culated to excite affliction in a whole country, 
and never was a royal death more generally and 
more sincerely deplored. 

Two proclamations closed this year of the 
Prince Regent's public life; one prohibiting the 
emigration of British officers, with the purpose of 
serving the states of South America against the 
King of Spain; and the other to repress, by 
threats of punishment, and by painting its enor- 
mity, the too common offence of frame-breaking, 
and the destruction of machinery used in manu- 
factures. 

On the 7th of April, 1818, her Royal Highness 
the Princess Elizabeth was married to the here- 



393 

ditary Prince of Hesse-Homberg, at the Queen's 
Palace. This prince had greatly distinguished 
himself in the late war, and commanded the 
Austrian army, to which the city of Lyons sur- 
rendered, in 1815. It was a singular circum- 
stance, that the magistrates of Lyons, expecting 
that Napoleon would pay them a visit, had got 
ready some magnificent gold keys, to be presented 
to him on a crimson cushion, as an emblem of 
the submission of the city. Napoleon, however, 
never went to Lyons, and the keys and cushion 
were presented to the Prince of Hesse-Hom- 
berg. 

The death of the Princess Charlotte having 
extinguished the hopes of a continuance of the 
succession to the throne in the right line, it was 
judged advisable that some of the younger sons 
of George III. should enter into the marriage 
state ; and, accordingly, the Dukes of Clarence, 
Kent, and Cambridge, followed the example of 
the Princess Elizabeth. The Duke of Clarence 
married the Princess Adelaide Amelia, of Saxe- 
Meiningen ; the Duke of Kent, Princess Victoria 
Maria Louisa, sister to Prince Leopold, of Saxe- 



394 

Coburg, and consort of the late Prince of Leinin- 
gen; and the Duke of Cambridge married the 
Princess Augusta Wilhelmina, of Hesse. On 
this occasion, each of the three royal dukes 
received from Parliament an addition of £6000 
a-year to his income, which was to be continued 
to his consort, as her jointure, in case of her 
becoming a widow. Another change, but of a 
melancholy nature, soon occurred in the royal 
family, by the death of the virtuous Queen Char- 
lotte, on the 1 7th of November. Of this most 
excellent princess, exemplary in all the rela- 
tions of public and private life, as a queen, 
a wife, a mother, and a friend, it is unnecessary 
to draw her character in this place; for it is 
impressed on the hearts of her subjects in brighter 
colours than any language can impart ; and those 
who appreciate the influence of the sovereign on 
the minds of the nation, need form no higher wish, 
than that the life, the character, and the court of 
all future Queens of England may resemble the 
life, character, and court of Queen Charlotte. 

The Duke of York succeeded the Queen as 
guardian of the King's person ; the establishment 



395 

at Windsor was reduced, and some new commis- 
sioners added. 

As order appeared to be now restored in France, 
it was resolved, at a congress held at Aix-la- 
Chapelle, in November, to withdraw the allied 
troops from that country. 

The foreign policy of the Prince Regent had 
obtained the loudest approbation, both abroad 
and at home. It was distinguished by the purest 
principles of international justice. No ambitious 
aspirations after aggrandisement ; no sordid views 
of self-interest ; but an absolute abandonment of 
private motives, and a sacrifice of personal benefit, 
to the peace of Europe and the general good. 
None but the immediate sufferers in the great 
political changes now in progress, had breathed 
a murmur against the purity and justice of the 
English cabinet. But in the administration of 
domestic affairs, the case was widely different. 
Those factious spirits, whose efforts for dis- 
turbance had been foiled by the splendor of 
events at the close of the war, eagerly availed 
themselves of the discontent and difficulty which 
naturally followed the establishment of peace. 



396 

The year 1819 was, in consequence, unhappily 
distinguished by serious disturbances in Lanca- 
shire, and other parts of the kingdom, which led 
to distressing scenes at Manchester, where Mr. 
Hunt, long designated as the oracle of the party 
called the Radicals, having collected an immense 
assemblage of persons, was arrested by a police 
officer, and the people dispersed by the Yeomanry 
Cavalry. Blood was unhappily shed, and this 
circumstance gave rise to loud and general 
expressions of indignation at what the populace 
called the Massacre of Petersfield. 

Similar assemblies continued to meet in dif- 
ferent parts of the kingdom, at which the most 
inflammatory language was used ; and at Paisley, 
in particular, were scenes of most outrageous riot 
and destruction, which made the interference of the 
military absolutely necessary. Long debates on 
these affairs took place in Parliament, and several 
resolutions were passed, but not without vehe- 
ment opposition, to strengthen the arm of govern- 
ment. The evil, however, increased, and in the 
spring of the ensuing year, new disturbances 
arose. 



397 

In May, this year, an addition was made to the 
royal family, by the birth of Prince George, son 
of the Duke of Cumberland, and of the Princess 
Victoria Alexandrina, daughter of the Duke of 
Kent. 

This year, the last of the regency, ended as it 
began, with present discontent and gloomy anti- 
cipations; yet at the beginning of the year 1820 
the country was tranquil. The agricultural 
interests were still depressed, but the cultivators 
of the soil are always least impatient under 
distress and disappointment. Commerce revived 
in some degree, and the determined measures of 
the ministry subdued the idle and the daring, and 
encouraged the peaceful and industrious. 

On the 23rd of January, the Prince Regent 
had the misfortune to lose his brother, the Duke 
of Kent, who died of an inflammation on the lungs, 
from a neglected cold, arising from wet feet. 
He was considered as amiable in private life, 
from which he rarely emerged. Almost his last 
act was reading an affectionate letter from the 
Prince Regent, who was greatly attached to him. 

Immediately after this shock, the royal family 



398 

sustained another in the death of the old King, 
on Saturday, 29th January. The aged monarch 
retained his characteristic activity till within a 
few days of his death. His sufferings were not 
protracted, nor was the approach of death em- 
bittered by pain. He expired without a struggle, 
and, happily for him, he was not, as sometimes 
happens to patients labouring under similar 
disorders, visited by a ray of returning reason, 
which would but have served to make him 
conscious of the desolation of his last moments. 

The royal body was committed to the family 
vault in St. George's Chapel, at Windsor, on the 
16th of February, amidst a concourse of the 
great and noble of the land ; but illness, and the 
advice of his physicians, prevented the greatest 
and the noblest, from paying the last tribute 
to his father. The Duke of York was chief 
mourned. 

The usual ceremony of proclamation and salu- 
tation, announced the accession of George IV. 
and another important era commenced. 

The death of George III. changed only the 
title of his successor, as he had already possessed 



399 

for some years all the attributes of royal power. 
The first public act of the new King was to 
summon a privy council, at which, the emblems of 
office having been surrendered by the officers of 
the crown, to whom they were immediately 
restored, and the customary oath being taken, 
His Majesty was pleased to make the following 
declaration :— 

" I have directed that you should be assembled 
here, in order that I may discharge the painful 
duty of announcing to you the death of the 
King, my beloved father. 

" It is impossible for me adequately to express 
the state of my feelings upon this melancholy 
occasion; but I have the consolation of knowing, 
that the severe calamity with which His Majesty 
has been afflicted for so many years, has never 
effaced from the minds of his subjects the 
impressions created by his many virtues ; and 
his example will, I am persuaded, live for ever in 
the grateful remembrance of his country. 

" Called upon, in consequence of His Majesty's 
indisposition, to exercise the prerogatives of the 
crown on his behalf, it was the first wish of my 



400 

heart to be allowed to restore into his hands the 
powers with which I was entrusted. It has 
pleased Almighty God to determine otherwise; 
and I have not been insensible to the advantages 
which I have derived from administering, in my 
dear father's name, the government of this realm. 

" The support which I have received from 
Parliament and the country, in times the most 
eventful, and under the most arduous circum- 
stances, could alone inspire me with that con- 
fidence which my present station demands. 

"The experience of the past will, I trust, 
satisfy all classes of my people, that it will ever 
be my most anxious endeavour to promote their 
prosperity and happiness, and to maintain unim- 
paired, the religion, laws, and liberties of the 
kingdom." 

Whereupon the lords of the council made it 
their humble request to His Majesty, that this 
His Majesty's most gracious declaration to their 
lordships might be made public; which His 
Majesty was pleased to order accordingly. 

On Monday, the 3 1st, the King was proclaimed 
with the usual forms by the venerable Sir Isaac 



401 

Heard, Garter King at Arms, under the portico of 
the palace, and afterwards at Charing Cross, Tem- 
ple Bar, and the other customary stations. Sir 
Isaac being then in the ninetieth year of his age, 
His Majesty, with the kindest consideration, 
though he allowed him to make the proclamation 
under the portico of the palace, would not suffer 
him to expose himself to the fatigue of accom- 
panying the procession to Charing Cross and the 
city. 

Alarming disturbances continued to trouble the 
northern parts of England, and the neighbourhood 
of Glasgow, where, on the 2nd of April, a seditious 
address was issued, declaring that the struggle 
between the government and the people had 
commenced. The soldiers were invited to join 
the people, and all who should oppose the rege- 
neration of the country were denounced as traitors. 
The next day all business ceased. Thousands of 
workmen were seen loitering about the streets, as 
if waiting for a signal. But all these proceedings 
ended with a skirmish, in which nineteen of the 
rioters were taken prisoners, some of whom 
expiated their error on the scaffold, repenting 

2d 



402 

the delusion which had misled them ; while the 
wretches who must have been the authors of the 
plan escaped, by concealment, the punishment 
which they so well deserved. 

A plot of a most diabolical nature, happily rare 
in the annals of our country, was contrived for 
the purpose of bringing about a revolution like 
that in France ; the first step towards which was to 
have been the murder of all the ministers, while 
assembled at a cabinet dinner at Lord Harrowby's. 
The plot was however discovered to the govern- 
ment by one of the conspirators, and Arthur 
Thistlewood, the leader, and his associates, were 
tried and found guilty of high-treason, conspi- 
racy, murder, and felony. Thistlewood and five 
others were beheaded, five were transported for 
life, and one pardoned. 

The King, on meeting the new Parliament, 
declared in his speech, that he should follow his 
father's example in his solicitude for the welfare of 
the nation ; that economy should be observed in 
the public expenditure, and that the royal dignity 
should be supported without additional burdens 
on the people ; His Majesty expressed his deter- 



403 

initiation to maintain the public peace and tran* 
quillity, lamented the pressure of distress, which 
was aggravated by a spirit of turbulence and 
sedition; and concluded with a hope that the 
misguided might be led to a due sense of their 
errors. The King on this occasion seemed in good 
spirits, but not in good health ; having been seri- 
ously attacked by inflammation on the lungs 
during the first half of February. The assemblage 
both in and out of the House was unprecedented, 
and His Majesty was loudly cheered both ingoing 
to the House and on his return. On the 16th of 
May, the King held a chapter of the Order of the 
Bath; and on the 16 th of June, he had a drawing- 
room, at which the court was out of mourning. 

Death, which had latterly so often afflicted the 
royal family, now deprived it of another highly- 
respected member, in her Royal Highness the 
Duchess of York, who died on the 6th of August, 
at Oatlands, at the age of fifty-three years. She 
had lived separate from the Duke, though both 
retained a great regard for each other, and behaved 
to each other with kindness, and as her illness 
gained ground, with a degree of affection: the 

2d2 



404 

duke was with her in her last moments. She 
lived in retirement, but was beloved by all who 
knew her ; was a great favorite both with George 
III. and his successor, and adored by the poor, 
towards whom her charity was unbounded. 

The most anxious period of the King's reign 
was now come ; the eyes of the nation, and indeed 
of Europe, were turned on his royal consort, now 
become Queen of England. She was in Italy, 
where she had resided ever since her return from 
a journey to the east. Reports to her disadvan- 
tage had long been circulated, and on the death 
of George III. it was generally imagined that 
some arrangement would be made for her perma- 
nent residence abroad, with her own consent, and 
without any more open breach between her and 
the King, than that which already existed. But 
the first measures adopted towards her were 
injudicious : no official notice was sent her of the 
King's death, of which she was informed by 
Mr. Brougham, who sent Sicard, an old and 
faithful servant of hers, to Italy, with the news. 
She immediately replied to Mr. Brougham, that 
she was determined to return to England; and 



405 

she ordered him, as her Attorney-General, to 
apply for Buckingham House as her place of 
residence. To a question from Mr. Brougham, 
in the House of Commons, on the 22d of February, 
1820, Lord Castlereagh declared, that the English 
functionaries abroad should treat Her Majesty 
with respect, and that no indignity should be 
offered to her. Notwithstanding this, she was 
said to have received the most insulting neglect, 
and even positive rudeness, from some of our 
ministers abroad. The King now ordered her 
name to be struck out of the Liturgy; and the 
equivocal relation between them gave rise to 
many debates in the House of Commons, parti- 
cularly about increasing her income, in proportion 
as her dignity had increased. Lord Liverpool, 
founding his proceeding on a proposition made 
to ministers in June, 1819, by Mr. Brougham, 
" that if the present allowance were continued, 
her Royal Highness might be induced to live 
abroad, and resign her claim to the title of Queen 
Consort," wrote, on the accession of the King, to 
Mr. Brougham, adverting to the above proposal 
as having come officially from her advisers. The 



406 

only alteration proposed was to increase the 
income from £35,000, to £50,000 per annum. 

Before the princess could be acquainted with 
this negotiation, she learnt the death of the King, 
and the erasure of her name from the Liturgy. 
She assumed the title of Queen, and wrote letters 
of compliment to England, and soon after set out 
on her journey to this country. She was to have 
met Mr. Brougham at Genoa, but she hastened 
forward and met him at St. Omers, together with 
Lord Hutchinson, who went on the part of the 
King, to propose that £50,000 a-y ear should be 
her allowance, on the condition that she should 
reside abroad, and never assume any right or title 
appertaining to the royal family of England. 
The Queen gave an instant and indignant answer 
to the proposition, and immediately left France 
for England, where she arrived, at Dover, on the 
5th of June, 1820. 

Feelings, honorable to the English nation — 
compassion for the unfortunate— a desire to sup- 
port the weaker side— and resentment of supposed 
injuries, united, with the sentiment common to 
all mankind-— a belief that innocence begets con- 



407 

fidence— to secure for the Queen, thus situated, 
a most energetic and enthusiastic welcome. A 
similar spirit lighted one hundred flambeaux, and 
collected ten thousand persons the same night, to 
greet her arrival at Canterbury. Her route to 
London was a continued triumph, and her arrival 
there its climax. The lower and the middling 
classes of society predominated in this display of 
feeling. The cheers Her Majesty received were 
paid to her situation, and to the courage which 
appeared to brave it; the popular hatred of any 
thing like oppression had its share in the excite- 
ment ; and it may be added, that at this period 
very few persons in England were acquainted 
with the nature or the proofs of the charge against 
her. How this honorable feeling became per- 
verted into a political passion, and with what art, 
the noble sympathy of the many was employed 
in the party purposes of the few, will be long 
remembered. Flags, processions, placards, ad- 
dresses, newspaper paragraphs, coffee-house 
harangues, pulpit eloquence, and mob outrage, 
were parts of the machinery; but the prime 
mover was not palpable to sight. 



408 

His Majesty was equally prompt and determined 
in his conduct ; and on the 6th of June, Lords 
Liverpool and Castlereagh laid on the tables of 
the respective Houses of Parliament, a message 
from the King, desiring that the Houses would 
take into immediate consideration certain docu- 
ments, then furnished, relative to the mal- 
practices of the Queen while upon the continent. 
Various adjournments took place, in order to 
afford an opportunity of a private arrangement, 
and numerous meetings were held in St. James's- 
square, at Lord Castlereagh's, between his lord- 
ship and the Duke of Wellington, as the friends 
of the King, and Messrs. Brougham and Denman 
as the law-officers of the Queen. These were in 
vain ; and at last Mr. Wilberforce made a motion 
in the House of Commons, for an address to the 
Queen, praying her, for the sake of the public 
tranquillity, to yield; the Commons pledging 
themselves, that her thus yielding should not in 
any way prejudice her character. She refused. 

At last, on the 5th of July, Lord Liverpool 
brought in a Bill of Pains and Penalties against 
Her Majesty, depriving her of her rights as 



409 

Queen of England, and dissolving her marriage, 
on the ground of criminal intercourse with an indi- 
vidual named Bergami, who held a confidential 
situation in her household. This measure was 
only meant to intimidate the Queen, and adjourn- 
ments took place to give time for its operation, 
and to produce a compromise. Her Majesty, 
however, stood firm to her purpose, and un- 
dauntedly appeared in the House of Lords during 
every discussion on the Bill, which, having been 
carried in the Lords by a majority of only nine 
votes, the Earl of Liverpool declared, that His 
Majesty's government had resolved to abandon 
the prosecution. 

Soon after the funeral of George III. the King 
was desirous that preparations should be made 
for his coronation; but the Queen was an 
obstacle, as he could not brook the idea of her 
being crowned with him. The King opened the 
session of 1821 in person, on the 23rd of January. 
In the speech from the throne, the Queen was 
named by His Majesty, and the subject of a 
provision for her was recommended to Parliament. 



410 

Alluding to late events, the King said, "I well 
know, that the firmest reliance may be placed 
on that affectionate and loyal attachment to my 
person and government, of which I have recently 
received so many testimonies from all parts of my 
kingdom ; and which, while it is most grateful to 
the inmost feelings of my heart, I shall ever 
consider as the best and surest safeguard of my 
throne." ■ < 

Many debates took place during this session, 
on the question of the Liturgy, and other points, 
in which the ministers were often severely 
censured, but the House always decided in their 
favor, by large majorities. The sum of £50,000 
per annum was voted for the Queen. 

A proclamation was issued, fixing the 19th of 
July for the coronation, on which the Queen 
wrote to Lord Liverpool, to learn what arrange- 
ments had been made for her. She was answered, 
that the crown, using its undoubted privilege, 
would not have her included in the ceremony; 
and she was afterwards informed, that her at- 
tendance at the coronation would not be allowed. 



411 

The matter was argued before the privy council, 
her law officers pleading her right, but without 
success. 

On Thursday, 19th of July, 1821, the long- 
expected ceremony took place. At half-past 
eight in the morning the Hall was closed against 
the admission of more company, and at about 
half-past ten His Majesty entered. 

The procession moved from the Hall to the 
Abbey, where the crowning took place, and by 
four o'clock the King had returned to the Hall. 
He now retired to the Speaker's house until six, 
when His Majesty again entered the Hall, and, 
decorated with the crown and robes of state, he 
seated himself on the throne at the head of the 
table, and dinner commenced. 

The preparations were judicious and splendid. 
Three hundred and twelve persons, besides the 
royal family, sat down to the dinner. The tables 
were seven feet wide, and each person had two 
feet of space allotted to him. The backs of the 
chairs were gothic arches covered with scarlet, 
and the Hall was floored with blue cloth. The 



412 

ceremony of the champion was performed between 
the first and second courses, whilst those allowed 
by the Court of Claims took place after the 
second course. At twenty minutes before eight, 
the King rose and left the Hall, and thus termi- 
nated the ceremony. The whole was magni- 
ficent, and costly beyond all precedent; and 
never did His Majesty appear in better spirits 
than throughout this fatiguing day. 

It is painful to proceed. The Queen, who on 
this occasion was unquestionably ill-advised, 
appeared during the ceremony at the several 
entrances of the Abbey and the Hall, and was 
everywhere refused admittance. The populace, 
incensed at the repulse she had met with, col- 
lected in mobs, and broke the windows of the 
houses of His Majesty's personal friends, and 
chief officers, and ministers of state. This was 
the last of the humiliations that this ill-fated 
princess was destined to receive. The mortifica- 
tion of this moment embittered the few remaining 
days of her life, and most probably hastened the 
approach of death, which on the 7th of August 



413 

put an end to her sufferings. Yet was her spirit 
undaunted and energetic at the moment of death, 
as it had been throughout her life. 

In her will she had desired that her body 
should be conveyed to Brunswick, and that the 
inscription on her coffin should be, " Here lies 
Caroline of Brunswick, the injured Queen of 
England." The ministers consented to the con- 
veyance of the body to Brunswick, and appointed 
a military guard of honor to attend it. The 
funeral was fixed for the 14th of August. 

It might have been hoped that party spirit and 
faction would be now allayed; but even the 
funeral procession gave occasion to disgraceful 
outrages. It reached Kensington in good order, 
and was to have proceeded along the great road 
north of London, to avoid the confusion and riot 
that were to be apprehended if it passed through 
the city. But its farther progress was stopped 
by a barrier of carts and waggons, placed to 
obstruct it, and, after some serious affrays with 
the military, in which two persons were killed by 
the soldiers, who were obliged to fire in their 
own defence, against the stones with which they 



414 

were assailed, the mob prevailed, and the proces- 
sion passed through the city. These disgraceful 
scenes were renewed almost to the sea-side. The 
funeral in the cathedral of Brunswick, was per- 
formed with great solemnity and splendor, 
amidst an immense concourse of her countrymen, 
who were deeply affected by this closing scene 
of the earthly career of their princess. 

The whole of these unhappy proceedings are 
still fresh in the memory of the nation ; and the 
mention of them even now, awakens in those who 
took the most lively interest in them, feelings so 
unpleasant, that it must seem far better to let the 
whole gradually sink into oblivion, than, by 
unnecessary discussion, to revive the memory of 
a contest, the principal parties in which are now 
withdrawn from all the petty cares of this mortal 
life, and sheltered both from enmity and flattery, 
in the repose of the tomb. 

The chief events in which His Majesty was 
personally concerned subsequent to his corona- 
tion, were, his visits to Ireland, Hanover, and 
Scotland, 

On Saturday, the 11th of August, 1821, the 



415 

King embarked on board the Lightning steam* 
packet, and on the following day, about four in 
the afternoon, landed at Howth, in Ireland. His 
Majesty was recognised before he left the steam- 
boat, and the most loyal greetings welcomed him 
on shore. He very cordially acknowledged this 
gratification, and when in his carriage shook hands 
with many of the throng, appearing to enjoy 
the absence of etiquette, and to indulge the 
humor of the moment. Signal guns conveyed 
the first notice of the King s arrival ; and the 
characteristic enthusiasm of the nation was mani- 
fested on all sides. Immense crowds followed 
the course of the royal carriage, and from the 
steps of the vice-regal lodge, the King addressed 
the multitude: — " My lords and gentlemen, and 
my good yeomanry," said His Majesty, " I can- 
not express to you the gratification I feel at the 
warm and kind reception I have met with on 
this day of my landing among my Irish subjects : 
I am obliged to you all. I am particularly 
obliged by your escorting me to my very door. 
I may not be able to express my feelings as I 
wish. I have travelled far— I have made a long 



416 

voyage ; besides which, particular circumstances 
have occurred, known to you all, of which it is 
better at present not to speak; * upon these sub- 
jects I leave it to delicate and generous hearts to 
appreciate my feelings. This is one of the happiest 
days of my life. I have long wished to visit you : 
my heart has always been Irish — from the day it 
first beat, I have loved Ireland. This day has 
shown me that I am beloved by my Irish subjects. 
Rank, station, honors, are nothing ; but to feel 
that I live in the hearts of my Irish subjects, is to 
me the most exalted happiness. I must now 
once more thank you for your kindness, and bid 
you farewell. Go and do by me as I shall do by 
you; drink my health in a bumper ; I shall drink 
all yours in a bumper of good Irish whiskey. " It 
is unnecessary to remark, that this plain, homely 
speech from the royal lips, was hailed with hearty 
applause. The spirits of the nation seemed 
excited to a pitch of intoxication — in their own 
forcible language, they were mad with joy. The 
public authorities paid their duty at a private 

* News of the Queen's death had just reached His Majesty. 



417 

levee on the 15th, and the great appeared to par- 
take the rapture of the lower ranks on the arrival 
of His Majesty ; his affability delighted them, and 
the most extravagant hopes of national and indi- 
vidual benefit originated in this visit. The public 
entry into Dublin occurred on the 17th; His 
Majesty wore the riband of the order of St. 
Patrick over his regimentals, and the lancers, in 
their splendid full dress, accompanied the proces- 
sion : the King took possession of the castle, 
which became the palace. On the 23rd, the King 
dined with the Lord Mayor ; on the 24th, he 
visited the Royal Society ; and, after exhausting 
the pleasures of Irish sociality, and visiting the 
wonders of the capital, departed on the 7th of 
September. His embarkation was greeted with' 
the same enthusiastic cheers that had marked his 
landing. On Thursday, the 13th, the King landed 
at Milford Haven, and immediately afterwards 
commenced his journey to London. The greatest 
expectations were entertained in both countries 
from this visit of the King to Ireland, but they were 
fatally disappointed ; the feverish excitement of 
that period soon subsided ; and the sanguine 

2 E 



418 

people finding no immediate good from the Kings 
presence, agreed to attribute a great portion of 
their existing evils to that cause. Poverty and 
misery awakened discontent and disunion ; flames 
were kindled, murders perpetrated, and the most 
diabolical outrages prevailed. Religious discords 
inflamed the wounds of political animosity. 
Revenge and individual hatred dictated the 
darkest crimes, under the shadow of public good 
on the one side, and patriotic impulse on the 
other. Executions, imprisonments, and military 
occupation, were not sufficient to repress the 
tumults, or prevent the dreadful conflagrations 
and sanguinary struggles they gave birth to. The 
lord-lieutenant was recalled, a special commission 
for the trial of offenders was sent into the dis- 
turbed districts, and punishment followed an 
excitement that power could not repress. This 
year ended amid these horrors ; the King's visit to 
Ireland appeared like a blink of sunshine on the 
island; but its dubious splendor was only the 
precursor of the storm. 

The King had scarcely returned from Ireland, 
when he encountered the perils of a new voyage, 



419 

and the fatigue of another journey. On the 20th 
of September, he embarked at Gravesend, landed 
at Calais, and travelled through Lisle, Brussels, 
Aix-la-Chapelle, Dusseldorf, and Minden. His 
Majesty entered his German dominions on the 
5th of October; the evening of which day he 
spent at Osnaburg. Here he received the officers 
of the palace, reviewed the 8th regiment of infan- 
try, stationed there, and was hailed by the accla^ 
mations of the populace. On the following day* 
the Dukes of Cumberland and Cambridge met 
His Majesty, and the royal brothers dined toge- 
ther at Nienberg, where the court-house had been 
prepared for his reception ; and that evening he 
slept in the palace of Herrenhausen. On the ilth 
of October, a salute of one hundred and one guns 
announced His Majesty's entrance into the capital 
of the kingdom of Hanover. The joy of a people 
who had been so long governed by the Brunswick 
family, under the title of "electors," at the sight 
of a member of that house, can easily be con- 
ceived. All political hostility was at an end, and 
party spirit reposed in peace ; all ranks and 
classes of the people thronged to the welcome of 

2 e 2 



420 

their King. His Majesty was drawn through the 
capital in an open carriage, by eight milk-white 
horses, surrounded by the pride of the kingdom. 
He underwent the fatigue of another coronation; 
at night the city was most brilliantly illuminated, 
and the King, with his royal brothers, joined in 
admiration of its splendor. Ten days were spent 
in this ancient capital, amidst rejoicings, public 
festivals, and private entertainments. He reviewed 
the military, received the civic deputations, 
visited the university of Gbttingen, and joined in 
a grand hunting party at Diester. Again His 
Majesty accommodated himself to the people, 
spoke German, wore the Guelphic order, and left 
the most lively impressions of his affability and 
condescension in private, and in public established 
his claim ta the proudest of all titles— that of a 
patriot King. 

It may be as well to mention here, that on the 
death of the Duke of Brunswick, in the campaign 
of 1815, the Prince Regent assumed the guar- 
dianship of his two sons, and the administration 
of the Duchy of Brunswick. The Prince Regent's 
government of it was highly advantageous to 



421 

the country ; many wounds were healed — many 
abuses corrected — and an improved constitution 
introduced. The time when the Dukes of Bruns- 
wick are to be considered as of age to assume 
the reins of government, not being very accurately 
defined, the King debated whether he should 
lay down his office of guardian when the young 
duke should attain the age of eighteen, or leave 
him another year to complete his education. By 
the advice, and with the concurrence, of the 
Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia, he 
decided on the latter course ; the young prince, 
however, was highly offended at this, and, on 
assuming the government, declared all that his 
uncle had done, during the last year, to be illegal. 
An unhappy breach was the consequence, in 
which the young prince manifested much unbe- 
coming heat of temper, while his uncle's letters 
to him were models of kindly feeling, and truly 
paternal solicitude. Sometime before the King's 
death the duke had yielded, but with a very ill 
grace, to the injunctions of the Germanic Diet, to 
make an apology to the King ; but the matter 
was not wholly settled at His Majesty's decease. 



422 

Many anecdotes of His Majesty's condescen- 
sion and good-humor were circulated at the time. 
He appeared to be extremely pleased with his 
two little nephews, the sons of the Dukes of 
Cumberland and Cambridge. The first time he 
saw them, he asked them if they could speak 
English, on which Prince George of Cambridge 
quickly exclaimed, " God save the King T 

In His Majesty's speech on opening the session 
in February, 1822, he expressed his gratification 
at the loyalty of the Irish, and his deep concern 
at the state of that unhappy kingdom. On pro- 
roguing the Parliament, on the 6th of August, he 
again adverted to Ireland, and hoped that the 
large sums that had been voted by Parliament, 
and raised by private charity, in the famine and 
distress which had lately afflicted Ireland, would 
tend to unite all classes of his subjects in feelings 
of brotherly love and affection. 

Only two days after His Majesty set out on 
another visit to a remote point of his kingdom, a 
most melancholy event took place—the death of 
the Marquis of Londonderry, who, in a fit of insa- 
nity, indications of which had been noticed by 



423 

the King and the Duke of Wellington, put a 
period to his existence on the 12th of August, by 
dividing the jugular vein with a penknife. 

On Saturday, the 10th of August, the King 
embarked at Greenwich on a voyage to Scotland, 
and arrived on the 17th off Leith. As the royal 
squadron sailed down the river and along the 
British coast, it was everywhere hailed with the 
liveliest enthusiasm. His Maj esty landed at Leith 
on the 18th, and, welcomed and accompanied 
by immense multitudes, entered Edinburgh. The 
following sketch of His Majesty's visit, given in 
a popular journal, is highly interesting : — 

" Those acquainted with the place and the 
character of the people, need not be told that 
scenery and circumstance gave unusual effect 
and interest to this event. The castle, and the 
long-deserted palace of a line of kings, form the 
beginning and end of one street, rising from the 
valley to the ridge of the rock — the palace 
bosomed in the hollow, the castle crowning the 
craggy precipice; houses of immense height unite 
these objects by a singularly picturesque avenue, 
sufficiently irregular to give it interest, and not so 



424 

incongruous as to deform it ; a deep natural fosse 
separates this immense mole from the neighbour- 
ing ground ; looking down from the castle towards 
the palace, the old town, with every possible diver- 
sity of building — college, cathedral, cottage, and 
mansion — extends and is continued on one side of 
the Calton-hill. On the left, the new town, with 
the strictest regard to uniformity, stretches its 
long lines of corresponding buildings. The towns 
are united by two bridges, upon and beneath 
which streets are continued. Above the palace, 
and opposite to the castle, rises the Calton-hill, 
circled with castellated buildings, crowned with 
temples, and surmounted by a monument, an 
immense obelisk rising from its summit. All 
these objects are visible in the approach from 
Leith. 

" A principle of veneration is an essential ingre- 
dient in the mind of the Scottish people. Faith- 
ful attachment to acknowledged and hereditary 
chieftainship, is a consequence of a long-con- 
tinued and scarcely-abolished system of feudal 
superiority. Love of country and self-respect 
are united with religious feeling, in their sub mis? 



425 

sion to the powers that be. With these senti- 
ments, few who could accomplish the means, 
neglected to avail themselves of this opportunity 
of gratifying strong natural and habitual feelings ; 
and that decency and propriety of demeanor 
and appearance which is characteristic of the 
people, added gravity and respectability to their 
expressions of enthusiasm. Their shouts were 
not the noisy ebullition of sanguine hopes and 
extravagant joy. There were a depth of senti- 
ment, a chastened and regulated delight, which, 
arising from individual feeling, harmonised the 
general chorus. It was not wild exultation, but 
the genuine expression of pure and heart-felt 
homage, that greeted the King. 

u His Majesty landed on the spot sacred to the 
tread of royalty in the legendary chronicles of 
this enthusiastic people. The officers of the 
household, and members of the state, in splendid 
uniforms and appropriate insignia, awaited his 
landing. He wore the full-dress uniform of an 
admiral, with St. Andrew's cross, and a large 
thistle in the gold-laced hat. The Lord-Lieute- 
nant of Mid-Lothian, and the Lord Chamberlain, 



426 

received His Majesty on shore, and the senior 
magistrate congratulated him, The King mounted 
his carriage, while cavalry and infantry, as usual — 
Highlanders — and the gentlemen archers of the 
royal guard, saluted him in the due forms of their 
respective services. The royal cortege was pecu- 
liarly interesting, from the variety of costume 
adopted, without pride or affectation, but in strict 
compliance with the costume of the country. 
The King himself declared that the beauty of the 
scenery, the splendor of the display, and the deep 
thunder of his welcome, affected him more than 
any thing else in the course of his life. The peo- 
ple in their turn were equally delighted with the 
condescension and affability of their prince. 

" His Majesty passed the night of the 18th at 
Dalkeith, as a guest of the Duke of Buccleugh, 
and the following day held a levee in the palace 
of Holyrood House, again restored to the dignity 
of its former years. The King on this occasion 
wore the Highland costume, and became the 
tartan of the Stuarts. Three thousand persons 
paid their duty to His Majesty at a court held at 
Holyrood House on the day following. His 



427 

Majesty received his visitors in a field-marshal's 
uniform ; danced with the young, talked with the 
old, and won the hearts of all. A splendid feast 
was given by the Lord Provost, in the Parliament 
House. The venerable Dr. Baird, Principal of 
the University, said grace, and Sir Walter Scott 
officiated as croupier. When the King's health 
had been drank, His Majesty stood up and said, 
' I am quite unable to express my sense of the 
gratitude which I owe to the people of this coun- 
try ; but I beg to assure them, that I shall ever 
remember, as one of the proudest moments of my 
life, the day I came among them, and the gratify- 
ing reception they gave me. I return you, my 
Lord Provost, my lords, and gentlemen, my 
warmest thanks for your attention this day; and 
I can assure you with truth, with earnestness, 
and sincerity, that I shall never forget your duti- 
ful attention to me upon my visit to Scotland, 
and particularly the pleasure I have derived from 
dining in your hall this day.' ' God save the 
King,' and immense cheerings, followed. The 
King continued — ' I take this opportunity, my 
lords and gentlemen, of proposing the health of 



428 

the Lord Provost, Sir, William Arbuthnot, Baronet, 
and the Corporation of Edinburgh.' When the 
King named the Lord Provost by the title which 
he by so doing conferred, the magistrate knelt and 
kissed the King's hand, which was held out at the 
moment, and the incident was loudly applauded 
by the company. The King afterwards gave as 
a toast — c Health to the Chieftains and Clans, 
and God Almighty bless the Land of Cakes;' 
and added, ' Drink this with three times three, 
gentlemen.' How can a sovereign fail to be 
popular, who thus mixes with his people, and 
wins towards his own person that affectionate 
regard which secures a dutiful obedience to his 
high office? In uniting dignity with hilarity in 
his meetings with his subjects, no monarch ever 
possessed the art of George IV. ; and his example 
shows forcibly that the personal qualifications of 
the sovereign are of great importance to the wel- 
fare and happiness of the nation. His Majesty 
departed by a different route, on Thursday, the 
29th, and in his way he paid a visit to the Earl of 
Hopetown ; and at the house of that nobleman, 
conferred the honor of knighthood on the cele- 



429 

brated portrait painter, Raeburn. At Queens- 
ferry, the country people assembled to gratify 
their curiosity with a last look, and express their 
loyalty in a parting cheer. The roar of cannon 
from all the hills, and the louder shouts of the 
multitude, greeted his embarkation at port Edgar- 
A fair wind brought the royal squadron to Green- 
wich on the 1st of September; and the crowds 
which had assembled to bid him farewell on his 
departure, gathered again to testify their joy and 
gratitude for his safe return. On his landing, the 
orphans of the Naval Asylum presented an inter- 
esting object for the royal sympathy, and their 
simple welcome was affecting. Towards evening, 
the bells of the neighbouring churches announced 
His Majesty's arrival at Carlton Palace." 

In 1823, the national prosperity was evidently 
increasing. The ministry were popular; Lord 
Liverpool was still prime minister, Mr. Canning 
had succeeded to Lord Londonderry, Mr. Ro- 
binson to Mr. Vansittart (Lord Bexley), and Mr. 
Huskisson was President of the Board of Trade. 
At the commencement of 1824, the crisis of 
distress seemed to have passed away, and to 



430 

have left the country in a state of progressive 
prosperity ; but the superabundance of capital 
led to a spirit of speculation, and to the concep- 
tion of the most extravagant schemes, which were 
eagerly supported by joint-stock companies, and 
presented on the whole a system of fraud and 
peculation on the one hand, and of credulity 
blinded by lust of gain on the other, that indeed 
cannot be paralleled in the annals of the mercan- 
tile world, and which ultimately led to the most 
ruinous consequences; r and the year 1825, which 
appeared to open with the fairest prospects, 
ended in unprecedented misery and ruin ; most 
important commercial failures caused great dis- 
tress, and seventy-three banking-houses stopped 
payment in a few months. This state of things 
continued at the beginning of 1826, and the King's 
speech pointed at the cause— heedless specula- 
tion. The Parliament was dissolved on the 2nd 
of June, and on the 21st of November, the King 
went in person to open the new Parliament. 

So long a space had elapsed since the ap- 
pearance of His Majesty in public, and so little 
was known of the private life of the King, in his 



431 

retirement, that the most intense curiosity existed 
to behold him in his progress to the House of 
Lords on this occasion. The King wore his 
coronation dress, with a black hat and white 
feathers. His Majesty looked remarkably well — 
loud acclamations hailed his appearance, and his 
people's joy and attachment were demonstrated 
at every step of his progress. The King opened 
the first session of this new Parliament with a 
speech, which explained the reason of their early 
summons — the necessity of their sanction to an 
order of council for the opening of the ports. 
It announced the happy termination of the war 
in India — peace with the world, and endeavours 
to preserve it. A diminution in the revenue, and 
the distresses of the people, were allowed and 
regretted, and hopes confidently expressed of an 
early and permanent relief to the difficulties 
under which the people had so long and patiently 
suffered. 

The endeavours of France and England, to 
arrange the existing differences between the 
courts of Spain and Portugal having fallen to the 
ground, and the aggressions of the former against 



432 

the latter power, having assumed an unquestion- 
able shape, the King despatched a message to 
Parliament, rehearsing these matters, communi- 
cating an application by the Princess Regent of 
Portugal for assistance from this country, and 
stating His Majesty's desire to assist his ancient 
ally. An address, in answer to this message, 
most eloquently moved, and unanimously sup- 
ported, enabled His Majesty to employ imme- 
diate and effective interference in the affairs of 
Portugal, and a body of troops were in a 
remarkably short time landed in that country. 

Parliament agreed, in this view of the subject, 
with the ministry, and the whole nation appeared 
to be of one opinion ; never were a government 
and its subjects in more complete unison. On 
the 13th of December the Parliament adjourned. 

The clergy of the province of Canterbury, in 
convocation, presented an address to His Majesty, 
in November, expressing their apprehension of 
certain endeavours making, and to be made, 
against the good of the Church, and their trust 
in His Majesty's protection, as its head. The 
King replied, " My lords, and the rest of the 



433 

clergy, I receive with great satisfaction this loyal 
and dutiful address. The renewed assurances of 
your attachment to my person and government 
are most acceptable to me. I rely with the 
utmost confidence upon your zealous exertions 
to promote true piety and virtue — to reclaim 
those who are in error, by the force of divine 
truth — and to uphold and extend among my 
people, the preference which is so justly due to 
the pure doctrine and service of our established 
church. That church has every claim to my 
constant support and protection. I will watch 
over its interests with unwearied solicitude, and 
confidently trust that I shall be enabled, by the 
blessing of Divine Providence, to maintain it 
in the full possession of every legitimate privi- 
lege." 

The year 1827, which commenced under more 
favorable auspices than the last, was a period of 
peculiar affliction to His Majesty. His Royal 
Highness the Duke of York, who had long 
struggled under a most painful disorder, had 
been gradually sinking since September, when he 
underwent an operation, and expired on the 5th 

2 F 



434 

of January, in the sixty-fourth year of his age. 
He endured the agonies of his disorder with 
fortitude and resignation, and continued to the 
last to discharge the important duties of his high 
office, with a strength of mind above all praise. 
He entered into the minute details of the ex- 
pedition to Portugal ; and, on the very last week 
of his life, took advantage of a visit from the 
King, to obtain the royal consent to a plan for 
the promotion of old subalterns in the army. 
His passage to the grave was smoothed by the 
consolations of religion, and by the unremitting 
and tender attention of his family. 

The affliction of His Majesty, at the loss of 
his best friend, his most beloved brother, and 
almost constant companion and confidant, may 
be easier conceived than described. His Royal 
Highness was succeeded in the office of com- 
mander-in-chief by his grace the Duke of Wel- 
lington; and as heir-apparent to the throne, 
by the Duke of Clarence, whose income was 
increased by the House of Commons in conse- 
quence of this change. Soon after the open- 
ing of Parliament, Lord Liverpool was at- 



435 

tacked by a paralytic stroke, from which he 
never recovered so as to resume his office, but he 
lingered till December, 1828. As a minister, he 
had the rare felicity of being equally esteemed 
by his own colleagues and his political opponents, 
who all did justice to his unspotted integrity. 
The illness of the minister greatly embarrassed 
the King, who, after many negociations between 
the members of the cabinet and the leading 
persons in the two Houses, determined that Mr. 
Canning should succeed Lord Liverpool; and 
that, with the addition of a successor to Mr. Can- 
ning, the ministry should remain as before. On 
this, the Duke of Wellington, Lords Eldon, 
Bathurst, Westmoreland, and Bexley, and Mr. 
Peel, gave in their resignations. Many other 
persons holding high offices, resigned also ; but 
the recess gave Mr. Canning time to remodel 
the cabinet, which was effected before the meeting 
of Parliament. One of the most remarkable of 
the new appointments was that of his Royal 
Highness the Duke of Clarence, to the post of 
Lord High Admiral of Great Britain. The new 
ministry was exceedingly popular; but Mr. Can* 

2f2 



436 

ning, after holding his high office only four months, 
died on the 8th of August, at the Duke of 
Devonshire's seat, at Chiswick. His death was 
considered as a national calamity, and was 
generally and deeply deplored. 

The death of Mr. Canning did not lead to the 
immediate dissolution of the cabinet; Lord 
Goderich (late Mr. Robinson) succeeded Mr. 
Canning, and Mr. Herries became Chancellor of 
the Exchequer. This ministry proved wholly 
inefficient, and died a natural death at the begin- 
ning of the following year, when His Majesty 
resolved to have a minister who should at least 
be capable of adopting decisive measures; his 
choice fell on the Duke of Wellington, who 
soon marshalled his forces, including the whole 
strength of the party who went out on the nomi- 
nation of Mr. Canning. Lord Eldon, retiring on 
account of his great age, was succeeded, as 
Chancellor, by Lord Lyndhurst; Lord Dudley 
was Secretary for Foreign Affairs ; and thus the 
administration was restored to nearly the same 
state as it was left on the illness of Lord Liver- 
pool. Further changes were made on the resig- 



437 

nation of Mr. Huskisson, which soon followed, 
and on the Duke of Clarence's resignation of the 
Admiralty. 

The session of 1828 was both opened and closed 
by commission, the King continuing in profound 
retirement. This was a remarkable period. The 
Corporation and Test Acts, after many repeated 
and fruitless attempts, were repealed, and a 
new and more satisfactory corn bill was passed. 
Meantime, very extraordinary events occurred in 
Ireland. Mr. O'Connel, a Catholic lawyer, stood 
candidate for the county of Clare, relying on a 
new construction of the existing laws, and was 
returned by a great majority. A body, called 
the Catholic Association, endeavoured to promote 
union among the peasantry, and to carry on with 
vigor the great object of emancipation. On the 
other hand, Orange Societies were revived, and 
Brunswick Lodges instituted. Party spirit was 
at its height, and the kingdom appeared to be 
on the brink of a civil war. 

In the course of this year, the young Queen of 
Portugal, Donna Maria da Gloria, and her uncle, 



438 

Don Miguel, visited this country, but not at the 
same time. 

On the 5th of February, 1829, the Parliament 
was again opened by commission, with a speech 
of far greater importance than those compositions 
usually are. 

After alluding to the war of Russia against 
Turkey, the state of Spain, to the still suspended 
international relations of England and Portugal, 
and to the general good-will of the European 
powers towards this country, the speech went 
on to a more immediately essential matter — the 
recommendation of a calm consideration of the 
Catholic question. 

This great question, acknowledged by all par- 
ties to be the most important that had been sub- 
mitted to Parliament since the accession of the 
House of Brunswick, was at length to be for ever 
decided. The ministers, who had hitherto been 
its most violent opposers, and who had aban- 
doned Mr. Canning because they feared his 
influence in its favor, must have had the most 
overwhelming proofs of the necessity of the step 



430 

which they had recommended to their sovereign, 
or they never would have made such a sacrifice 
of personal feeling and of political consistency, 
as they did by advocating Catholic Emancipa- 
tion. The effects of so extraordinary a change 
are not yet sufficiently developed to form an 
accurate judgment of the future results; yet it 
seems already clear that it has greatly improved 
the political state of Ireland, and it is to be 
hoped, that, when there is less opportunity for 
factious demagogues to inflame the minds of the 
people, their energies may be more beneficially 
exerted than they have hitherto been. The 
friends of this great measure, while they rejoice 
at its accomplishment, could not suppress a 
tributary sigh to the memory of Canning. 

The session was closed by commission, and 
the King did not afterwards take an active part 
in public business. 

The parliamentary session of 1830 was opened 
by commission on the 4th of February, and in 
the speech were repeated the Kings congratula- 
tions on the continued peace of Europe, and his 
friendly relations with all foreign courts ; and it 



440 

was stated that the amount of exports of British 
manufacture and articles of commerce had ex- 
ceeded that of any former year. 

His Majesty's public history being now closed, 
it will be proper, before adverting to the last 
scene of his earthly career, to take a brief view 
of his habits during the last few years of his life, 
which were passed almost in seclusion. In 1826, 
he opened the Parliament in person, and visited 
both the theatres. The enthusiastic gratulations of 
his . subjects saluted him on those occasions ; 
and about the same time he held a levee and 
drawing-room. In 1827, he was gratified by a 
visit from his eldest sister, the Queen of Wir- 
temberg, and held occasional courts. In 1828, 
he received Don Miguel of Portugal, held a court 
in March, a drawing-room in April, and in the 
following month levees were held, and balls given ; 
towards the end of the same year, the young 
Queen of Portugal was acknowledged and received 
at court, and in the spring of 1829, St. James's 
Palace was the royal residence. The Queen 
of Portugal and the Princess Victoria were in- 
vited to meet the juvenile branches of the nobility 



441 

at a ball given by the King on the 29th ; and as 
business required, His Majesty came to London, 
held a court, and returned to Windsor the same 
day; latterly the courts were held exclusively at 
Windsor; and finally, in May, 1830, a commission 
was appointed to exercise the royal privilege of 
signature. 

The private life of the King was as little event- 
ful as the functions of his state were varied. 
Every year, until the present, the races on Ascot- 
heath were honored with his presence, and the 
public occasionally heard of a removal from 
Windsor to Brighton, or from the Royal Lodge to 
Windsor Castle. A distinguished party were in- 
vited to relieve the tedium of declining life ; and 
it might be recorded, that in such invitations no 
political distinctions were regarded; nor were his 
companions and friends exclusively chosen from 
the higher ranks ; talent and virtue introduced 
themselves, and the most distinguished literary 
and scientific characters of the present day often 
constituted the majority of the King's party. 

The royal palaces engaged a great proportion 
of the King's attention. Carlton House was 



442 

pulled down in the progress of those improve- 
ments in the metropolis, which will make His 
Majesty's reign an epoch in its history. St. James's 
was still used for state occasions. Kew was in 
ruins, and Buckingham House was demolished, 
and chosen as the site of a new and splendid 
mansion fitted for the residence of a king. The 
Pavilion at Brighton was occasionally used in the 
season. The magnificent and truly royal castle 
of Windsor underwent material alterations, and in 
the course of these improvements, His Majesty re- 
sided at the Royal Lodge or Cottage at Windsor. 

The royal out-door amusements consisted in 
sailing and fishing on Virginia Water, when the 
weather permitted, and, under favorable auspices, 
a drive in a pony phaeton in the magnificent 
purlieus of Windsor Forest. The King dined 
early, with his family, and select friends shared his 
meal. The Duke of Cumberland often accom- 
panied His Majesty in his drives. In August, 
1829, he laid the foundation stone of an equestrian 
statue to the memory of his father. 

His Majesty having attained his sixty-seventh 
year, found public state and ceremony more and 



443 

more burdensome, and sought relief in retirement. 
But he still continued passionately attached to 
the arts, and interested in their improvement. He 
enjoyed the light literature of the day, and the 
reading of the drama was his favorite amusement. 
Occasional fits of illness befel him in his retreat, 
and rendered seclusion more necessary and more 
welcome. Reports, more and more alarming, 
were spread, but it was not till the 15th of April, 
1830, that it was thought necessary to issue a 
bulletin, which announced that His Majesty had 
had a bilious attack, accompanied by an embar- 
rassment in his breathing ; and that though free 
from fever, he was languid and weak. Other 
bulletins were issued on the 19th, 22nd, 24th, 
and 26th, after which they were continued 
daily exactly for two months, the last, announcing 
His Majesty's decease, being of the 26th of June. 
During these two months, the public anxiety 
was extreme; the oracular conciseness and 
obscurity of the bulletins, gave but little insight 
into the nature of His Majesty's complaint, into 
the actual state of his health, or even the opinion 
of his physicians. Other information was, there- 



444 

fore, eagerly sought ; but as the accounts pub- 
lished in the daily prints were often at complete 
variance with each other, the nation was, in fact, 
left in the dark, and it could only be conjectured 
that His Majesty was labouring under a painful 
disorder, which could not be expected to termi- 
nate favorably; but to what period his sufferings 
might be protracted, could not be anticipated. 
This state of things was extremely disagreeable 
to the people, who, though accustomed to the 
loss of their sovereign's presence, could not endure 
being left in doubt respecting his health. Another 
cause of anxiety was the state of trade, which 
had begun to revive, but was now almost sus- 
pended, in the apprehension of the King's decease, 
which would lead to a general mourning. 

Though the language of the bulletins was less 
explicit than it might have been, yet it is evident, 
on reading them in succession, that the medical 
attendants did not entertain, except, perhaps, for 
a few days in June, any very favorable opinion as 
to the issue of the disorder; and, if the public 
was more sanguine, it was, in a great measure, 
owing to the daily accounts that were published 



445 

of the long visits which he received from different 
members of the royal family, whose conversations 
with him were often related, not to mention his 
frequent conferences with his ministers. But the 
true indication of the King's state was His 
Majesty's message to Parliament, on the 24th 
of May, stating, that severe indisposition ren- 
dered it inconvenient and painful for him to 
sign with his own hand those public instruments 
which required the sign manual. On this, an 
act was passed, authorising the use of a stamp, 
by commissioners, in His Majesty's presence, and 
by his command, for his powers of mind remained 
unimpaired to the last. Some of the bulletins, in 
the second week in June, announcing that His 
Majesty had had good nights, that his breathing- 
was less embarrassed, &c. naturally excited the 
most cheering hopes ; and there cannot be a better 
proof of the ardent wishes of the people for the 
prolongation of the King's life, than the eager- 
ness with which they caught at every thing that 
could induce an inference that His Majesty's 
vigorous constitution would triumph over the dis- 
order. Unhappily, the bulletin of the 20th of 



446 

June announced the appearance of a new enemy, 
a harassing cough, which* in the case of a patient 
less exhausted by previous disease, might have 
had a beneficial effect, in relieving the constitu- 
tion by expectoration ; and it was fondly hoped 
that such might be the case here, but it proved 
otherwise. His Majesty gradually grew weaker 
and weaker till his death, which was brought on 
rather suddenly by the bursting of a blood-vessel 
in a fit of coughing. 

Though no bulletins were issued till April, it is 
certain that His Majesty had manifested during 
last autumn, symptoms of the disorder which 
terminated his life. He had been long subject to 
an intermittent pulse, which indicated some 
impediment in the circulation of the blood; and 
it appeared on opening the body after death, that 
the valves of the aorta were partly ossified, and 
there was a considerable degree of fatness about 
that organ generally ; in short, the appearances 
on the post-mortem examination sufficiently justi- 
fied the opinion, that His Majesty's sufferings 
might have been protracted, but that ultimate 
recovery was impossible. , . , . 



447 

It is highly, though painfully interesting, at 
such a crisis, to record, if possible, what was said 
by the royal sufferer, the King still preserving 
entire all the faculties of his mind. On Monday 
morning (the 31st of May), His Majesty expressed 
himself with his characteristic equanimity to one 
of his earliest and dearest friends, remarking, 
that it had been proposed to call in additional 
medical advice, but that he was satisfied the dis- 
ease could not be arrested, and that every thing 
was done to mitigate his anguish that art could 
suggest. To an observation relative to ministerial 
changes, His Majesty replied, " Come, let us 
not talk of politics, I have done with them, and I 
am sure every thing will go on well." The King's 
voice was firm, the self-possession and suavity of 
his manner unimpaired, and His Majesty expres- 
sed himself as enjoying the reflection of never 
having intentionally wronged or injured any 
individual. It has been stated also, as it appears 
on good authority, that His Majesty had repeated 
conversations with his sister, her Royal Highness 
the Duchess of Gloucester, in the course of which 
the King gave instructions as to arrangements 



448 

after his demise, and repeatedly said, " Now 
mind what I say, do not forget my instructions." 
The illustrious sufferer, however, never lost his 
equanimity, and conversed with others in the 
most cheerful manner on ordinary subjects. His 
Majesty said nothing to them implying a consci- 
ousness of danger, or rather any apprehension ; 
but, of course, the wishes he had expressed with 
regard to arrangements after his demise, shewed 
that the King was perfectly aware of the precari- 
ousness of his state, and that he might be very 
soon summoned to another scene of existence. 
The physicians had long been aware that His 
Majesty's death would probably be sudden, and 
he was prepared to receive the awful summons 
with resignation and submission. This intimation 
was given to him a fortnight before, and he 
piously ejaculated, u Gods will be done.'" 

Within the last week he spoke but little, and 
in a tone quite faint, and sometimes almost in- 
audible and inarticulate. To speak so as to be 
heard in the chamber appeared to give him pain, 
and to require an effort beyond the remaining 
strength of his shattered constitution. Business 



449 

of any kind became excessively irksome, and 
affected his temper. 

There had been some symptoms late on Thurs- 
day, which indicated a crisis of His Majesty's 
disorder : the expectorations became more tinged 
with blood, and indications of a ruptured blood- 
vessel. The King was himself aware of the inevi- 
table result of these symptoms of his malady. 

The royal patient was in bed when the stroke of 
death fell upon him. The page next him instantly 
proceeded to raise His Majesty, according to the 
motion which he signified by his finger. The 
King was at once assisted into a chair by his bed- 
side, and a great alteration struck the page in a 
moment, as overcasting the royal countenance ; 
the King's eyes became fixed, his lips quivered, 
and he appeared to be sinking into a fainting fit. 
The physicians were instantly sent for, and the 
attendants at once assisted the King with sal vola- 
tile, eau de Cologne, and such stimulants as were at 
hand on the table. At this moment His Majesty 
attempted to raise his hand to his breast, faintly 
ejaculating, " Oh God ! I am dying ;" and two or 
three seconds afterwards he said, "This is death ;" 



450 

so as to be heard by the page, on whose shoulder 
His Majesty's head had fallen. The physicians 
were in the chamber the instant after death, and 
assisted to place the royal corpse on a couch. 
The whole of the household came into the apart- 
ment of their deceased master; and until nine 
o'clock the person of the King was open to the 
view of the attendants ; and many tears were shed 
by the old servants, at the loss of a liberal and 
indulgent master. His Majesty's countenance 
immediately after death did not show any convul- 
sive sense of pain at the moment of dissolution. 
His chest, however, was much swollen, as well 
as the abdomen and legs, while the upper part 
exhibited all the appearances of extreme ema- 
ciation. 

Thus ended the mortal career of George the 
Fourth, whose government of this kingdom during 
a period of nineteen years, is one of the most mo- 
mentous periods in our history since the accession 
of the House of Brunswick. A writer in a periodi- 
cal journal says justly, " When we cast our re- 
trospective glance upon the foreign affairs of the 
country, the glory of the reign of George the 



451 

Fourth shines out with unequalled and unmiti- 
gated splendor. Europe, rescued from the 
thraldom and degradation to which a fierce and 
domineering conqueror had reduced her, by the 
unconquerable firmness and perseverance of 
British councils, adequately sustained and se- 
conded by the invincible prowess of British 
arms — the military character of Britain placed 
upon a lofty pinnacle of fame, to which the most 
aspiring of her statesmen, and the most intrepid 
of her heroes, in any former age, would have 
deemed it extravagance to aspire — a display of 
justice and moderation in the hour of victory, by 
which she at once consulted her own permanent 
welfare, and established a lasting claim to the 
gratitude alike of her enemies and her allies ; — 
these are the irreproachable trophies of the reign 
of George the Fourth. Nor shall it be said that 
the personal character of the monarch had an 
inconsiderable share in their acquisition. He it 
was who made a noble and patriotic sacrifice of 
personal partialities, habits, and predilections, 
upon the altar of the country, at the moment 
when sovereign power, including of course that of 

2 g 2 



452 

their unbounded gratification, first became his. 
This sacrifice the British nation will remember 
with gratitude to the latest posterity. It was a 
sacrifice the most painful that a generous monarch 
could be called upon to make." 

With respect to the personal character of our 
late lamented sovereign, it will not be uninterest- 
ing to illustrate it by many particulars collected 
from various quarters, several of which must be 
already known to the reader, but which, when 
placed together, throw a strong light upon each 
other, and illustrate the merits of George IV. as 
a just and merciful prince, a kind friend, and 
liberal patron of literature and the arts, and of 
every institution that could promote the happiness 
and glory of his people. 

The instances of His Majesty's patronage of 
literature and the arts, are far too numerous to be 
mentioned here. 

In 1821, the King, at the instance of the pre- 
sent Bishop of Salisbury, then of St. David's, 
founded an institution, called the Royal Society 
of Literature ; to which he gave a charter, and 
£1000 a year for pensions to ten honorary mem- 



453 

bers. Premiums for prize essays and poems were 
also founded. Opinions were at first much divided 
respecting the utility of this society; but though 
it is not, perhaps, every thing that the founders 
expected it to be, its transactions contain a great 
mass of valuable papers, and it boasts many of 
the most illustrious names in the literary world, 
both at home and abroad, among its members and 
contributors. 

In 1822, a most patriotic work was projected 
by His Majesty, and immediately put in force. 
It was a national military record — to preserve an 
account of all the actions and battles in which 
British troops have been, or may be engaged ; 
with the services of the army, and its grand 
divisions ; regimental records of the services of 
each corps; names of distinguished individuals, 
with their grounds of distinction ; and paintings 
of the colours and trophies captured in the 
different engagements. 

In the same year, the Parliament presented an 
address to the King, to solicit His Majesty's 
royal sanction to a national work — the repub- 
lishing of a regular series of the ancient histo- 



454 

rians of the kingdom. His Majesty's approbation 
of such a measure will be readily anticipated. 

In January, 3 823, the King wrote the follow- 
ing letter to Lord Liverpool: — 

•" Pavilion, Brighton, January 15*/*, 1823. 

" Dear Lord Liverpool, 

• The King, my late revered and 
excellent father, having formed during a long 
series of years a most valuable and extensive 
Library, I have resolved to present this collection 
to the British Nation. 

>' Whilst I have the satisfaction by this means 
of advancing the literature of my country, I also 
feel that I am paying a just tribute to the memory 
of a parent, whose life was adorned with every 
public and private virtue. 

"1 desire to add, that I have great pleasure, 
my Lord, in making this communication through 
you. 

" Believe me, with great regard, 

" Your sincere friend, 

"G. R. 

" The Earl of Liverpool, K. G. $c. Sfc. $c." 



455 

The King's letter, together with certain reso- 
lutions of the trustees of the British Museum on 
the subject, having been, by His Majesty's com- 
mand, laid before the House of Commons, were 
referred by the House to a select committee, 
who, on the 16th of April, made their report. 

In this report, the committee, having noticed 
the great value and extent of the library, con- 
sisting of upwards of sixty-five thousand volumes, 
exclusive of a very numerous assortment of 
pamphlets, and an extensive collection of geo- 
graphy and topography, expressed their opinion, 
that the greatest benefit would be derived to the 
public, from placing this magnificent donation 
under the care of the trustees of the British 
Museum; and that a building should be raised 
for its reception, forming part of a general design 
for a suitable edifice for the several collections of 
the whole Museum ; and the committee, in con- 
clusion, recommended to the House, to make such 
grants from time to time, as might be sufficient to 
effect the purposes above specified, and to raise a 
structure worthy of the taste and dignity of 
the nation. 



456 

The House thereupon granted £40,000 for 
the commencement of this work ; and a plan 
having been prepared by Mr. Smirke, and 
approved by the Lords of the Treasury, the 
foundation of the new structure was laid in the 
year 1823 ; the part intended to receive the royal 
library was completed in 1827; and in the fol- 
lowing summer, this truly noble collection was 
removed into the Museum, where it remains, 
a splendid monument of the munificence of 
George the Fourth. 

In 1824, it was resolved to carry into effect a 
favorite project of George III., to form a national 
gallery of paintings; and the noble collection of 
Mr. Angerstein was purchased for a commence- 
ment, at the price of £57,000. It has since 
been enlarged, by the purchase of some fine 
pictures, and by presents, particularly sixteen 
paintings given by Sir George Beaumont. If 
such an institution had existed some years back, 
it cannot be doubted, but that it would have been 
enriched by the addition of the gallery at 
Dulwich, and of the Fitzwilliam collection at 
Cambridge. 



457 

In the same year, the King gave £500 towards 
the erection of a monument to the memory of 
the celebrated James Watt; and a monument 
was raised by his munificence, at St. Germain's, 
to which were removed the bones of King 
James II. lately discovered there. 

As an instance of the same good feeling, it 
may here be added, that, in February, 1816, Lord 
Castlereagh, in reply to some questions of Mr. 
Ponsonby, in the House of Commons, stated, 
that Cardinal York, the last survivor of the 
Stuarts, had, while at Rome, been stripped and 
plundered by the French. His Majesty, on being 
apprised of it, granted him a pension, and this gene- 
rosity had produced so strong an impression of gra- 
titude upon his mind, that he directed by his last 
will, that some interesting family documents, toge- 
ther with the collar of the Garter worn by James II. 
should be sent to the Prince Regent, as a 
memorial of respect. This had been done, and 
the bequests were accompanied by a request 
from the executor, that his Royal Highness 
would assist him in the erection of a monument 
to the deceased cardinal. His Royal Highness 



458 

complied, and the expense was defrayed out of 
the surplus of the contributions of the French 
government, which had been appropriated to the 
removal from Paris to Rome, of the statues 
which belonged to the latter city. 

Some time after the death of the Cardinal of 
York, a Scotch gentleman of the name of Watson 
learned that he had left a vast mass of papers 
relative to the family of the Stuarts. How these 
papers first got out of the cabinet of the cardinal 
does not appear, but they came into the posses- 
sion of Signor Tassoni, auditor to the Pope, and 
were confided to a priest named Lussi. Mr. 
Watson having been apprised of this circum- 
stance, entered into a negociation with the two 
persons above named, and persuaded them to sell 
these, manuscripts to him, and they were trans- 
ferred to his lodgings. He shewed them to seve- 
ral English gentlemen at Rome, who advised him 
to lose no time, but to send them to England by 
the first opportunity. He disregarded this advice, 
and talked so much of his purchase, that the 
affair transpired, the papers were seized, and 
the priest imprisoned. The Pope afterwards 



459 

made a present of the whole to the Prince Regent, 
who ordered a selection to be made for publi- 
cation. 

In 1825, the King bestowed upon the Royal 
Society two annual medals of the value of fifty 
guineas each, to be awarded as honorary pre- 
miums under the direction of the president and 
council, in such manner as may seem best calcu- 
lated to promote the object for which the society 
was instituted. His Majesty at the same time 
desired to be informed of the conditions upon 
which the society intended to give them. The 
resolution adopted on the occasion by the council, 
and communicated to and approved by His Ma- 
jesty, was, that they should be given for the most 
useful discoveries or series of investigations com- 
pleted, and made known to the society, in the 
year preceding the day of award. 

In the year 1815, when Canova the sculptor 
came to Paris to reclaim the works of art of 
which Italy had been plundered by the French, 
he visited the English capital, and was introduced 
to the Prince Regent, who received him very 
graciously, and presented him with a snuff-box 



460 

enriched with brilliants. His Royal Highness also 
gave him an order for the construction of the 
mausoleum in honor of Cardinal York. Canova 
executed besides, for his Royal Highness, a group 
of Mars and Venus, intended to represent War 
and Peace ; a statue of a recumbent Nymph ; 
the Three Graces ; and some other works. 

In 1817, the Prince Regent having received 
from France the colossal statue of Buonaparte, 
executed by Canova, presented it to the Duke of 
"Wellington. The Roman sculptor had been mu- 
nificently patronized by the Buonaparte family. 
But little could he have thought that his labour 
to do them honor would pass into the possession 
of the destroyer of their power. 

Of the King's benevolence, both in extensive 
donations to public charities, and in relief afforded 
to distressed individuals, the instances are in- 
numerable. In 1825-1826, when the distress 
among the weavers in Spitalfields was extreme, 
and large subscriptions were made for their relief, 
His Majesty gave from his privy purse three seve- 
ral donations of £1000 each. 

About 1790, the prince was exceedingly urgent 



461 

to have £800. The moment the money arrived, 
the prince drew on a pair of boots, pulled off his 
coat and waistcoat, slipped on a plain morning 
frock, without a star, and, turning his hair to the 
crown of his head, put on a slouched hat, and 
walked out. An officer of the army had just 
arrived from America, with a wife and six children, 
in such low circumstances, that, to satisfy some 
clamorous creditor, he was on the point of selling 
his commission, to the utter ruin of his family. 
The prince, by accident, overheard an account 
of the case. To prevent a worthy soldier suffer- 
ing, he procured the money, and, that no mistake 
might happen, carried it himself. On asking at 
an obscure lodging-house, in a court near Covent- 
Garden, for the lodger, he was shown up to his 
room, and there found the family in the utmost 
distress. Shocked at the sight, he not only pre- 
sented the money, but told the officer to apply to 

Colonel Lake, living in street, and give some 

account of himself in future ; saying which, he 
departed, without the family knowing to whom 
they were obliged. 



462 

Many years before his accession, and prior to 
the regency, the prince on his way to town 
sprained his ancle, which brought on a severe 
attack of gout. It happened near Hartford 
Bridge, and in consequence he was obliged to 
stop at the inn there some days, during which he 
was so well attended that he thanked the land- 
lord, and promised him support. In the course 
of a few years the poor man fell back in the 
world, till at last all his effects were seized, and 
he and his family turned into the street. At the 
very distressing moment, when the sale was an- 
nounced, Colonel Bloomfield passed, and stopped 
to inquire the cause. The landlord informed 
him, and intreated him to lay the case before his 
Royal Highness. The colonel did so, and the 
prince immediately sent down £100 for present 
relief, and followed the bounty with £400 more, 
besides which he promoted a subscription, and 
procured in all above £2000, which set the man 
up again. 

One of the first acts of the King, after his 
accession, was to grant a royal charter, with a 



463 

subscription of four hundred pounds a year, to 
that meritorious charity, the Literary Fund. 

When the King heard of the distress of Beeth- 
oven the composer, he sent him £200. In the 
same kind spirit he sent £100 to O'Keefe, with 
an assurance that the like sum should be given 
him annually. 

Michael Kelly, who had been patronised by 
the Prince of Wales from his first appearance in 
1787, continued to be honored by his favor to 
the last, and always received from him, on his 
benefit night, a donation of £100. 

When Thomas Sheridan, the younger, after 
running a career of extravagance, was about to 
leave England for the Cape of Good Hope, the 
prince caused his debts to be discharged, and an 
outfit to be prepared. Sheridan went to Carlton 
House, to pay his respects, and the prince said r 
" I respected your father, and wish you well : but 
I am very poor ; accept this, however, as a token 
of ray good-will." This was a bank-note of ,£100. 

The ingenious painter in miniature, Mr. Muss, 
having employed much time in reducing Raphael's 
picture of the Last Supper, died just after com- 



464* 

pleting it, leaving a widow and young family. 
The prince, hearing of her distress, purchased the 
picture for ,£1500. The poor woman deposited 
this money for security in Fauntleroy's bank, and 
thereby lost the whole. 

On the 12th of December, 1821, died at Brigh- 
ton, aged 108, Phoebe Hessel, who had for many 
years served as a bather to the visitors of that wa- 
tering place. Being incapacitated by age for the 
exercise of her vocation, she relied upon charity. 
The prince being informed of her necessities, sent 
to know what would render her comfortable: 
" Half-a-guinea a-week," said old Phoebe, " will 
make me as happy as a princess." This was 
granted. 

The following epitaph is inscribed on a monu- 
mental stone in the churchyard: — " In memory 
of Phoebe Hessel, who was born at Stepney, 
in the year 1713. She served for many years 
as a private soldier in the 5th regiment of 
foot, in different parts of Europe, and in. the year 
1745, fought under the command of the Duke of 
Cumberland, at the battle of Fontenoy, where 
she received a bayonet wound in her arm. Her 



46,5 

long life, which commenced in the reign of Queen 
Anne, extended to George the Fourth, by whose 
munificence she received comfort and support in 
her latter years. She died at Brighton, where 
she had long resided, Dec. 12, 1821, aged 108 
years, and lies buried here." 

His Majesty's kindness to his domestics has 
been mentioned on a preceding occasion, and 
many pleasing anecdotes of this nature have been 
published. 

Among the most glorious attributes of the 
sovereign is mercy, and it is well known that 
George IV. was never more happy than when he 
could exercise the noble privilege of pardon ; and 
if the following anecdote, first published in a 
monthly periodical, should have received some 
embellishment in the telling, there can be little 
doubt that it is substantially correct: — 

A person accustomed to be present at the 
courts held by the late King for the purposes of 
public business, is said to have spoken to a friend 
as follows, in reference to the Recorder's reports 
of the condemned criminals: " If, sir, you could 
see and hear what I have seen and heard, and what 

2 u 



466 

will probably occur again after this day's council, 
you might feel little disposed to relate what you 
had seen with levity." The officer of the house- 
hold then took a sheet of paper from the table, 
walked to the fireside, placed his right arm on 
the marble chimney-piece, while he held the 
paper in his left hand, and looking the artist 
steadfastly in the face, said, " Sir, if you would 
see my royal master in his truly princely charac- 
ter, fancy him this day, after the breaking up of 
the council, standing thus, and the Recorder 
of London in your place, bearing the list of 
the miserable culprits doomed to death by the 
sentence of the law — wretched criminals, most of 
whom are friendless, and all, perhaps, hopeless of 
mercy. How little do they or the world know, 
that the most powerful pleader for a remission of 
their punishment is the prince! he, whom the 
world, judging of uncharitably, though unwit- 
tingly, consider as too much absorbed in the pomp, 
and splendor, and enjoyments of royalty, to 
trouble himself with the miseries of his sub- 
jects — whilst, one byjone, he inquires the nature 
of the offence in all its bearings, the measure of 






467 

the guilt of the offender, and whether the law 
absolutely demands the idfe of the erimiwafl, palli- 
ating the offence by all the arguments worthy a 
wise and good chief magistrate, and becoming him 
who, under Divine Providence, as the ruler of the 
nation, is the fountain of mercy ! Yes, sir, nearly 
two hours have I known the prince plead thus, ia 
the presence of this minister of justice, for those 
who had no other counsellor; and his plea, 
enforced by arguments not less just than wise, 
has in many instances, not been made in 
vain." 

Another circumstance reflecting the highest 
honor on His late Majesty, is that, as it is gene- 
rally acknowledged, no British sovereign ever dis- 
tributed the patronage of the church with so pure 
and laudable a regard to the interests of Christi- 
anity. How many eminent prelates now fill the 
highest stations in the church, whose advance- 
ment has been owing to their talents and virtues 
alone ! Without any affectation, which was notwi 
his nature, His Majesty was scrupulously exact 
in the performance of all the duties of the Chris- 
tian religion, and his last moments were consoled 

2 h 2 



468 

by a devout participation in the holy rites of that 
faith, of which he was the protector. 

Two anecdotes may find an appropriate place 
here. His Majesty, when Prince Regent, used 
to have different preachers at his chapel at Brigh- 
ton, Among the rest was the Rev. Mr. (now Dr.) 
Pearson. The reverend divine, at his first appear- 
ance in the royal pulpit, delivered a sermon so 
very different from what was usual |there, that 
his friends were afraid he had gone too far in 
his dehortations against the prevailing vices of 
the fashionable world, and that in consequence, 
his advancement would be impeded by his plain 
dealing. The prince, however, thanked him cor- 
dially for his sermon, and not long afterwards 
made him Dean of Salisbury. 

The King one Sunday morning, having dis- 
carded a servant in a passion, and for no serious 
offence, was respectfully told by the Bishop of 
Winchester, that he was not in a proper frame of 
mind to receive the sacrament. His Majesty, 
instead of being displeased, thanked his monitor, 
and by restoring the man to his place, recovered 
his own peace of mind. 



469 

His Majesty's tolerant spirit in religious mat- 
ters has been so fully evinced by the transactions 
of his reign, such as the repeal of the Test and 
Corporation Acts, and the grand measure of Ca- 
tholic Emancipation, that it is needless to enlarge 
on it in this place. 

In the year 1821, the black chief or prince, 
Rataffe, of Madagascar, visited England. He 
was a Christian convert, but felt much surprised 
at the number of religious divisions in this coun- 
try. When introduced to His Majesty, he could 
not help noticing the circumstance. The King- 
said, " Be assured, prince, they are not the less 
good men : they may differ from one another in 
small matters, but in every important point of the 
Christian faith they most perfectly and cordially 
agree. And permit me to add, that every assist- 
ance, kindness and protection, given to the mis- 
sionaries in your country, shall be esteemed and 
acknowledged by me, as done to myself." 

The above particulars, together with what has 
been previously stated in the course of the work, 
will enable the reader to form a correct estimate 
of the character of George IV. as a man and a 



470 

sovereign; yet it would be hardly just to with- 
hold the fdkrteing panegyric delivered by the 
BakeafWeUirigtdn in the House of Lords; for 
hi& grace,* having been the personal friend and 
companion of the King long before he was 
monarch, had the best opportunities of forming 
an accurate judgment : — 

" Otnr late sovereign received the best edu- 
cation which this* country affords. He had 
aim the singular advantage of having passed 
all the earliest period of his life, and the greater 
psxt of his manhood, under the superintendence 
@f the King, his fat&er, and subsequently in the 
society ©f the most eminent men that this coun- 
try possessed $ and he likewise enjoyed the 
society of tke tmst distinguished foreigners who 
resorted to this country . His Majesty's manners* 
accordingly, received a polish, bis understanding 
acquired a degree of cultivation, almost unknown 
in any individual, and he was admitted by all t© 
be the most accomplished man of his age. My 
lofds, he carried those: advantages to the govern- 
ment to which he was afterwards called, and which 
he so eminently displayed when on the throne. 



471 

During the whole course of his government no 
man ever approached him without having evi- 
dence of his dignity, his condescension, his abi- 
lity, and his fitness for the exalted station which 
he occupied. But these advantages, which 
shewed so conspicuously the polish of manners 
which he possessed, were not only observed by 
persons immediately around him— for I appeal to- 
many of your lordships who have transacted the 
business of the country which required an inter- 
view with the sovereign, whether his Majesty did 
not, upon every occasion, evince a degree of 
knowledge and of talent much beyond that which 
could reasonably be expected of an individual 
holding his high station. My lords, this is not all 
the eulogium which His late Majesty justly 
deserves. He was a most munificent patron of 
the arts in this country, and in the world. He 
possessed a larger collection of the eminent pro- 
ductions of the artists of his own country, than 
any individual — and it is of him, as an individual, 
I here speak. The taste and judgment he has 
displayed in these collections have never been 
excelled by any sovereign." 



472 

To this it may be added, that, of late years; 
His Majesty's ruling taste was that of building* 
Though he could not, like Augustus, boast that 
he had " found the metropolis of brick, and left 
it of marble," yet the astonishing improvements 
that have been made under his reign, have effected 
a metamorphosis quite as sudden, and not much 
less beautiful. In the edifices erected or im- 
proved under his own special directions, there is 
indeed a want of the chaste simplicity of the classic 
models of the art ; they are gorgeous rather than 
grand, and dazzle the eye by their splendor, 
rather than satisfy the understanding by the har- 
mony of their proportions. 

Of late, His Majesty had gradually withdrawn 
himself more and more from the public eye, and 
deprived himself of the popularity which he would 
infallibly have gained by showing himself more 
frequently to the people, whose feelings towards 
him were sufficiently manifested by the acclama- 
tions with which they always received him when 
he appeared either at the theatre or on public 
occasions. Perhaps the unmerited obloquy that 
had been heaped upon him at an earlier period* 



473 

had disgusted him with the ebullitions of popular 
clamor, and popular applause, as equally worth- 
less. Certain it is, that this love of seclusion 
grew upon him in such a manner, that he did not 
like even to be seen. 

So averse was he to being observed during his 
rides in the parks at Windsor, for the last two or 
three years, that out-riders were always des- 
patched while his poney-chaise was preparing, to 
whichever of the gates he intended to pass, across 
the Frogmore road, driving from one park into the 
other ; and if any person was seen loitering near 
either gate, the course of the ride was instantly 
altered, to escape even the passing glance of a 
casual observer. His Majesty seldom drove 
across to the Long Walk from the Castle, because 
he was there more likely to be met by the Wind- 
sor people. His most private way was through a 
small gate in the park wall, opposite another 
small gate in the wall of the grounds at Frogmore, 
at the Datchet side. He there crossed the road 
in a moment, and had rides so arranged between 
Frogmore and Virginia Water, that he had be- 



474 

tween twenty and thirty miles of neatly-planted 
avenues, from which the public were wholly 
excluded. At certain points of these rides, which 
opened towards the public thoroughfares of the 
park, there were always servants stationed on 
these occasions to prevent the intrusion of 
strangers upon the King's privacy. The planta- 
tions have been so carefully nourished for seclu- 
sion around the Royal Lodge, that only the 
chimneys of the building can now be seen from 
the space near the Long Walk. The King caused 
the same rigid exclusion to be enforced, while 
engaged in fishing, from his grotesque building 
at Virginia Water; and also when visiting the 
various temples which he had erected on the 
grounds. 

It has been asserted, and there is reason to 
believe with much truth, that His Majesty, having 
so often rallied after severe illness, relied, up to 
a very late period, on the innate strength of his 
constitution, till the physicians thought it their 
duty to warn him of his danger; his mind was 
often occupied with the improvements which he 



475 

still contemplated in the Lodge, the Castle, &c. 
and he fondly clung to the hope of enjoying, 
during the summer, the beauteous scenes of rural 
retirement which were so dear to his heart. 

" Ah ! not to dumb forgetful ness a prey, 
This pleasing, anxious being he resigned ! 
Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day, 
But cast one longing, lingering look behind !" 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Adelaide, Queen, 393. 

Abercorn, Marquis of, 224. 

Achmet I. xiii. 

Aclon, Mr. 129. 

Addison, 13. 

Adelbert, ix. xi. 

Albany, Countess of, cii. 

Albermarle, Lord, lxxxiii. 12. 

Albert Azo, x. 

Alexander, Emperor, 253, 279, 

311,320, 322,331,369. 
Alexander, Lord of Olbreuse, 

xx vi. 
Amelia, Princess, civ. 166. 
Ancaster, Duchess of, xli. 
Angouleme, Duke d% 330. 
Angouleme, Duchess d', 232, 

334, 360. 
Anne Eleonora, xxiii. 
Anne, Queen, xxiii. xxiv. xxxiv. 

xxxix. xlix. 
Anstruther, 177. 
Arbuthnot, Sir Wm. 428. 
Arn aid, Wm. 26. 
Aston, Mrs. Harvey, 155, 157, 

158, 160. 
Ardonin, x. 

Argyle, Duke of, xxxiv. 
Artois, Count d', 185. 
Augustus, xiii. 
Augustus Frederick of Wolfen- 

buttel, xxvi. xxviii. 
Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, Ixviii. 
Augusta, sister of George II. 

Ixxv. 
Augusta, Princess, 109, 165, 304, 

310,316. 
Austin, 277. 
Aylesbury, Earl of, 22. 
Baird, Dr. 427. 
Baldwin, xi. 

Barnard, Lady Catharine, 109. 
Barnard, Mr. 246. 
Barrymore, Lord, 140. 
Bath and Weils, Dean of, Ixv. 
Bath, Marquis of, xcvii. 
Bathurst, Lord, 390, 391, 435. 
Beaufort, Duke of, 164. 



Beaumont, Sir George, 456. 
Bedford, Duke of, 47, 114, 126, 

132, 164. 
Beechey, Sir William, ci. 
Beethoven, 462. 
Bellingham, Mr. 310. 
Bellisle, Marshal of, lxxxiii. 
Bennet, Mr. 304. 
Bentley, Dr. Ixiii. 
Berengarius, x. 
Beresford, Marshal, 330. 
Bergami, 409. 
Berkeley, Dr. lxvi. 
Bernadotte, 315, 322, 357. 
Bexley, Lord, 429, 435. 
Birch, Mr. Deputy, 191. 
Biron, Duke de, 64. 
Blackburne, Archbishop, Ixvii. 
Bloomfield, Colonel, 298, 462. 
Blucher, General, 363, 364, 372. 
Bolingbroke, Lord, xxxviii. 
Boncour, xiii. xxi. 
Boniface, ix. 
Borch, Baron, Ixi. 
Boufflers, Marshal, ci, 
Bowles, W. Lisle, vii, 
Bristol, Earl of, Ixxxvii. 
Broglio, Marshal, 1. 
Brooke, lxxiii. 
Brougham, Mr. 404, 405, 406, 

408. 
Bruce, Lord, 22. 
Brummel, Beau, 125. 
Brune, Marshal, 230. 
Brunswick, Duke of, 150, 279, 

420. 
Brunswick, Duchess of, Ixxvi. 

196, 279, 327. 
Bryant, Jacob, 20. 
Buckingham, Marquis of, 125. 
Bulau, Count de, liv. 
Bunbury, Sir Charles, 136. 
Buccleugh, Duke of, 426. 
Burdett, Sir Francis, 236. 
Burgoyne, 48. 
Burke, Ed. 46, 85, 101, 121, 

122, 223, 236. 
Burlington, Earl of, 56. 



478 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Burnet, Bishop, xxi. 
Buonaparte, Joseph, 323. 
Butler, Bishop, Ixvi. lxvir. 
Cade, Jack, xev. 
Cadogan, General, 1. liv. 
Cambridge, Duke of, 182,324, 

393, 394, 419, 422. 

Duchess of, 394. 

Cambridge, Prince George of, 

422. 
Camden, Lord, 58, 87, 101. 
Campbell, Ladv, 324, 

Admiral, 387. 

Canterbury, Archbishop of, 83, 

162, 165, 195, 378. 
Canning, George, 192, 315, 429, 

435,436,438, 439. 
Canova,459, 460. 
Capellen, Admiral Van der, 382, 
Carlisle, Earl, 114. 
Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea 

of Bamberg-Anspach, lii. 
Caroline, Queen of George II. 

lix. lxiii. Ixvi. Ixix. 
Caroline, Queen. See Princess of 

Wales. 
Carrick, Earl of, {>. 
Carnarvon, Countess of, 182. 
Carhampton, Earl of, xciv. 32. 
Carterat, Lord, lxviii. 105. 
Castlereagh, Lord*, 328, 329, 331, 

405, 408, 422, 429, 457. 
Catherine, Empress of Russia, 

231. 
Cavendish, Lord John, 49. 
Charles I. xviii. xxiv. cii. 9. 
Charles II. xxvii. 9, 132. 
Charles VI. xxxiv. 
Charles X. 185. 
Charles XIII. 314. 
Charles Augustus, of Augusten- 

berg, Prince, 314. 
Charles Louis, xix. 
Charlotte, Queen, Ixxxix, xc. 4, 

10, 33, 70, 91, 109, 111, 147, 

159, 162, 165, 169, 190, 199, 

210, 222, 232, 240, 242, 268, 
310, 333, 368, 375, 376, 377, 
378,388,391,394. 

Charlotte, Princess, 196, 196, 

211, 221, 222, 242, 243, 267, 



270, 278, 280, 282, 317, 325, 
327, 333, 354, 374, 375, 376, 
377, 378, 379, 380, 389, 391, 
393. 

Charlotte FcKcrte, xtv. 

Chartres, Duke de, 61. 

Chester, Earl of, 6. 

Chesterfield, Earl of, fii. lxiii. 
lxxxiv. xcvi. 34. 

Chifney, Samuel, 136. 

Cholmomleley, Earl of, Ixxi. 47, 
194 195 215. 

Cholmondeley, Lady, 182, 212. 

Christian III. xii. 



X1I1. xx. 



Christian Lewis, xiv. 
Chudleigh, Hon. Mrs. IxxxvH. 
Churchill, 203. 
Cibber, Colley, xlii. IxxvHi. 
Clarence, Duke of; see Wm. IV. 
Clarke, Dr. lxiii. Ixvi. 
Clarke, Dr. Stanier, 266. 
Clarendon, Earl of, xxiv. 
Clement, Pope, XIV. c. 
Clermont, Lord, 114, 115, 148. 
Coke, Mr. 48. 
Coleraine, Lord, 123. 
Compton, Sir Spencer, 59. 
Conolly, Mr. 103. 
Conyngham, Marquis of, 381. 
Conway, xvi. 

Cornwall, Countess of, 354. 
CornwaUis, Archbishop, 28. 
Cowper, Lady, xxxy. 
Craven, Lord, 47. 
Craufurd, General, 263. 
Crewe, 48. 
Cromwell, xlii. 
Cunegunda, x. xi. 
Curwen, Mr. 173. 
Cumberland, William Frederick, 

Duke of, lvii. Ixvii. lxx. xci. 
, Henry Frederick, 

Duke of, Ixxvi,. xciii. xcix. 

ciii. 6, 32, 34, 36, 101,116. 

Ernestus Augustus, 



Duke of, xiv. xv. XX. 182, 1S4, 
240, 268, 317, 368, 419, 422,, 
442„ 464. 

;, George, Prince of, 



397. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



479 



Cumberland, Duchess of, 368. 

Darby, Miss, 37. 

Denman, Mr. Thomas, 408. 

Denmark, King of, xcii. 

Denmark, Queen of, xcii. 

Duscheim, ix. 

Des Cartes, xx. 

Devonshire, Duke of, 4, 7, 47, 

195 436. 
Derby, Earl of, 47, 1 14. 
Devonshire, Duchess of, 37, 41, 

64. 
Dorset, Duke of, lxxxiv. 
Dorset, Earl of, xxxv. 
Douglas, Sir John, 277, 278. 
Downe, Lord, 114. 
Douglas, Lady, 305. 
Drummond, Archbishop, 22. 
Draper, Mrs. 4. 
Duck, Stephen, Ixiii. 
Duckworth, Admiral, 280. 
Dudley, Lord, 436. 
Dudley, Henry Bate, 125. 
Duncan, Lord, ci. 231. 
Duncannon, Lord, 25. 
Dunmore, Lord, xcix. 183. 
Dysart, Lord, ciii. 
Dyke, Mr. 391. 
Edward, xiv. xx. 
Edward II. 8. 
Edward HI. 8. 
Edward V. 9. 
Edward VI. 9. 
Edwards, Mr. 305. 
Eldon, Lord, 325, 435, 436. 
Eleanor, Queen, 8. 
Eleanor D'Esmiers, xxvi. 
Elfi Bey, 266. 
Elizabeth, Princess, 109, 165, 

243, 304, 310, 316, 333, 375, 

378, 392, 393. 
Elizabeth Stuart, xv. xvii. xix. 

xx. 
Ellenborough, Lord, 279. 
Ernest, the Confessor, xii. xiii. 
Ernest, Duke, xxv. 
Erskine, Lord, 32, 48, 279. 
Este, Augustus cl\ 184. 
Ethelinda, xi. 
Exmouth, Lord, 382. 
Fabricius, Baron, li. 
Fauntleroy, 464. 
Fayette, La, 62. 
Fusen, Count, 314. 



Fielding, Lord, 1 14. 

Finch, Lady Charlotte, 10. 

Fitzherbert, Mrs. 65, 82, 128, 
129, 140, 144, 145, 189, 220, 
223, 282. 

Fitzpatrick, Mr. 48. 

Fitzwilliam, Lord, 47, 114. 

Foote, Mr. 36. 

Fox, Charles James, xcv. 39, 
41, 46, 56, <37, 86, 101, 119, 
132,235,238, 264,268,271,274. 

Francis, Mr. 48. 

Frederick Barbarossa, xi. 

Frederick, xiii. 

Frederick III. xiv. 

Frederick V. xv. 

Frederick, Elector, xvii. xviii. 
xix. xxi. 

Frederick Augustus, xx. 

Frederick William of Prussia, 
xxix. li. 

Frederick the Great, xxix. Ixiii. 

Gallitzin, Princess, 141. 

Garrick, lxii. 

Garth, Miss, 221. 

Garsanda, x. 

George, xiii. 

George Louis, xx. 

George William, xiv. xv. xxvi. 

George I. xxxv. xxxix. xliii. 
xlix. li. lii. 

George II. xxiv. xxv. xxvi. 
xxviii. xxxiii. xxxiv. li. lii. 
lix. lxi. lxviii. lxxxvi. Ixxxviii. 

George III. lxx. lxxvi. lxxxix. 
xc. xcii. xciv. c. civ. 1, 5, 35, 
49, 56, 102, 105, 1 10, 142, 149, 
150,153,159,168,169,182,185, 
194,222,227,232,237,239,242, 
243,249,259,261,267,276,278, 
279,2S0, 282, 284, 327, 378,379, 
380, 393, 394, 398, 404, 409. 

Gertrude, xi. 

Gibbon, x. 37. 

Gideon, Lady, 129. 
Glenbervie, Lady, 324. 
Gloucester, Wm. Henry, Duke 
of, lxxvi. xciii. cii. 32, 165. 

— William Frederick, 

lxxvi. xciv. 110, 165, 195,240, 
312, 324,380. 

Duchess of, xciv. 



166, 304, 310, 316, 333, 375, 
_376, 380, 447. 



480 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Gloucester, Sophia, Princess of, 

xciv. 166, 333. 
Glover, Mr. lxxiii. 
Goderich, Lord, 436. 
Gordon, Lord George, 128, 130. 

Lord William, 387. 

— Duchess of, 129. 

Goupy, lxxii. 

Gourville, xxvi. 

Grenville, Lord, 274,277,315. 

Greville, Colonel, 158. 

Grey, Lord, 48, 80, 315. 

Grosvenor, Lady, 36. 

Guelph, x. xi. 

Gustavus Adolphus, iii. 20. 

GustavusIV. 311. 

Haggerston, Sir Carnaby, 65,129. 

Halifax, Lord, 4. 

Handel, xlix. 

Harcourt, Mrs. 155, 157, 158, 

221. 
Hardinge, George, xcvi. 
Hardwicke, Lord, 4. 
Harold, xi. 
Harrington, Lord, xv. xvi. 

Ixxxiii. 
Harrowby, Lord, 402. 
Hayter, Reverend John, 254. 
Heard, Sir Isaac, 401. 
Henry of Saxony, x. 
Henry the Black, xi. 
Henry the Superb, xii. 
Henry the Lion, xii. 
Henry V. 9. 
Henry VI. 9. 
Henrietta Maria, xx. 
Henrietta of Orleans, xxiv. 
Herries, Mr. 436. 
Herschel, Dr. 98. 
Hertford, Marquis of, 381, 388, 

390. 
Hervey, Lord, lxii. 
Heslop, Major, 155. 
Hesse-Homberg, Prince of, 393. 
Hessel, Phoebe, 464. 
Hoadley, Dr. xxxiv. 
Hoadley, Bishop, lxvi. 
Holderness, Earl of, lxxxv. 13, 

15,19. 
Hogarth, lxii. 
Holland, Lord, 276. 
Holland, Mr. 55. 
Honeywood, Mr. 48. 



Hopetown, Lord, 428. 

Hoppner, 32. 

Horton, Mrs. xciv. 32. 

Howe, Lord, liii. ci. 237. 

Hugo, 10. 

Hulse, General, 265. 

Hurd, Bishop, 26, 28, 30. 

Hunt, Mr. 394. 

Hutchinson, Lord, 406. 

Huskisson, Mr. 429, 437. 

Jackson, Dr. Cyril, 16, 22, 24, 

25, 386. 
James I. xv. xvi. xviii. 1 . 
James II. xxi. xxii. xxxvii. lv. 

ci. 457. 
Jersey, Lord, 202. 

Countess of, 144, 155, 

157, 158, 161, 170, 182, 186, 
189, 220, 223. 

Jervis, Admiral, ci. 

John Frederick, xiv. 

: Margrave of 

Bamberg-Anspacb, lii. 

Joseph I. xiv. 

Josephine, Empress, 281. 

Jourdan, Marshal, 325. 

Judith, Empress, ix. xi. 

Ireland, Samuel, 229. 

Irnham, Lord, EarlCarhamp- 
ton, xciv. 32. 

Ilchester, Countess of, 389. 

Kelly, Michael, 463. 

Kent, Edward, Duke of, 141 ,182, 
240, 268, 276, 324, 393, 397. 

Duchess of, 393. 

Keppel, Bishop, ci//. 

Kepple, Sir William, 387. 

Kilmansey> Baron, xtix. 

King, Sir Peter, xxxvi. 

Knight, Mr. 48. 

Kbnigsmark, Philip Chris topher, 
xxix. xxx. xxxii. 

Kosciusko, 235. 

Krudener, Baroness de, 36 p 

Lake, Colonel, 115,461. 

Lalande, xcviii. 

Lam be, Mr. 187. 

Lambert, ix. 

Lambton, Mr. 48. 

Lawrence, Sir Thomas, 32, 277. 

Leeds, Duke of, 164, 195. 

Legge, Lady Charlotte, 163. 

Leibnitz, x. xlvii. 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



481 



Lenox, Colonel, 109. 
Leopold, Emperor, xv. xxv. 
Leopold, Prince of Saxe-Coburg. 

155, 374, 375, 376, 377, 378. 

391,392, 393. 
Lewis, xiii. 
Lexington, Lord, Ix. 
Lieven, Countess, 333. 
Ligonier, Lord, Ixxxviii. 
Lilio, lxxiii. 
Lindsell, Mr. W. 306. 
Liverpool, Earl of, 316, 325, 

353, 368, 405, 408, 409, 410, 

429, 434, 435, 436, 454. 
Lockyer, Dr. xli. 
Loudon, Bishop of, lxv. 
Lothaire, King, ix. 
Lothian, Marquis, 105. 
Louis, xx. 
Louis XIV. xxvi. xxvii. 

XVI. ci. 360. 

XVIII. 282, 332, 334, 365. 

Louisa Juliana, xviii. 
Louisa Hollandina, xx. 
Loughborough, Lord, 88, 228- 
Lowth, Bishop, 28, 126. 
Lynedoche, Lord, 285, 436. 
Lyte, Henry, 108. 
Luschki, lv. 
Lussi. 458. 

M'Carthy, Felix, 123. 
Macclesfield, Earl of, xxiv. 66. 
Maclaine, Dr. Archibald, 16, 23. 
Madox, Dr. Isaac, Ixiv. 
Magnus, xiii. 
M'Mahon, Colonel, 298. 
Mahomet, Aga, 266. 
Mahomet, xlviii. 
Mallet, lxxv. 
Malmsbury, Lord, 105, 155, 157, 

158. 
Manby, Captain, 277. 
Mansfield, Earl of, 23, 27, 54. 
Maria Theresa, Queen, lxxvii. 
Marie Antoinette, 40. 
Mary, Princess. See Duchess of 

Gloucester. 
Markham, Archbishop, 16, 18, 

23, 26. 
Marlborough, Duke, liii. 25. 
Masham, Lord, 4. 
Matilda, xi. 
Aland, xi. 



Maurice, xx. 

Maximilian William, xx. 

Melander, xiv. 

Melcombe, Lord, Ixxvi. 

Melville, Lord, xcvi. 385. 

Melbourne, Lord, 333. 

Merode, xiii. 

Miguel, Don, 438, 440. 

Minto, Lord, 107. 

Moira, Lord, 42, 114,122, 185, 
256, 264,268,270,315. 

Montague, Duke of, 22. 

Montmoison, Count de, 138. 

Montrose, Duke of, 333. 

Moreau, General, 322. 

Moore, Sir John, 282. 

Archbishop, 29. 

Thomas, 70, 90, 106,235, 

383. 
Morton, Earl of, 39. 
Mulcaster, Colonel, 185. 
Muratori, x. xlvii. 
Murray, Lady Augusta, xcix. c. 

182, 184. 
Maitland, Captain, 369. 
Muss, Mr. 463. 

Napoleon Buonaparte, 233,256, 
279, 311, 317, 320, 322, 329, 
330, 359, 361, 363, 367, 369, 
381, 393, 460. 
Necker, M. 139. 
Newcastle, Duke of, lxxxii. 
Newton, lxiii. 

Sir Adam, xvi. 

Sir Isaac, xlvii. 

Bishop, xxxix. Ixxiv. 

Newnhara, Mr. 48, 73, 75. 
Nicholson, Margaret, 70, 
Nicolai, Baron, 333. 
Nithisdale, Lord, xliv. 
Norfolk, Duke of, 238, 281. 

Lord, 47. 

North, Bishop, 28. 

. Lord,xcv. 46,50, 58, 85, 

101. 
Northumberland, Duke of, 47. 
Nagle, Sir Edmd. 381, 387, 388. 
O'Connel, Mr. 437. 
O'Keefe, 463. 

01denburg,Duchess of, 331 , 333. 
Ongley, Mr. 243. 
Orange, Wm. Prince of, xviii. 
xxi. xxii. xxiii. 

2l 



482 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Orange, Prince of, 186, 323, 354, 

374. 
Orleans, Duke of, 70, 71, 72, 

138, 141, 377. 

Duchess of, 377. 

Osborne, Lady Mary, 163. 

Otbert, x. 

Otho of Saxony, x. 

of Bavaria, xi. 

Emperor, xii. 

Paget, Honorable Captain, 387. 

Paliser, Sir Hugh, 157. 

Palmer, Colonel, 298. 

Parker, Admiral Sir Peter, 185. 

Parr, Dr. 122, 325. 

Payne, Admiral, 47, 90, 141, 

155, 157, 265. 
Pearson, Dean, 468. 
Peel, Mr. 435. 
-Penn, William, xx. 
Perceval, Mr. 283, 284, 302, 

305, 309, 310, 
Philip, King, xvi. xx. 
Pigot, 40. 
Pitt, Andrew, Ixxi, 

William, Earl of Chatham, 

lxxx. lxxxiii. xciv. 

William, son of the pre- 
ceding, xcvi. 76, 89, 90, 129, 
145, 172, 173, 249, 271, 274. 

Plumer, Mr. 48. 

Ponsonby, Mr. 47, 457. 

Pope, Alexander, Ixii. lxxiv. 

Portland, Duke of, 47, 49, 70, 
85, 100, 227. 

Pretender, the, xliii. Ixxxv. cii. 

Prussia, Louisa Queen of, 147. 

Pulteney, Sir Win. 180. 

Pulteney, Mr. lviii. Ixviii. 

Portugal, Donna Maria da 
Gloria, Queen of, 437, 440, 

Queensbury, Duke of, 114. 

Quin, !xxv. 

Randolph, Dr. 198, 201, 203. 

Raphael, 463. 

Rantzau, Major-General, liv. 

Rataffe, Prince, 469. 

Rawdon. See Earl of Moira. 

Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 32, 61. 

Richard I. xii. 

Richard II. 8. 

Richardson., Colonel, 155. 



Richmond, Duke of, xcvii. 

Duchess of, 363. 

Rinaldo D'Este, xiv. 
Robinson, Mrs. Mary, 37, 65. 
Robinson, Mr. 429. 
Rockingham, Marquis of, 121. 
Rolle, Lord, 76. 
Romney, Lord, 240. 
Ross, Mr. 155. 
Rowe, W. lxxiv. 
Roxburgh, Duke of, 164. 
Royal Princess. See Queen of 

Wirtemberg. 
Rupert, xix. 
Sabine, Brigadier, liv. 
Sacheverel, Dr. xii v. 
Salisbury, Bishop of, 452. 
Salzas, Monsieur de, 13, 16. 
Savage, Dr. xlv. 
Savage, Jxiii. 
Saxton, Sir Charles, 185. 
Schurman, Madam, xx. 
Scott, Sir Walter, 427. 
Seeker, Archbishop, Ixvi. lxx. 

Ixxi. lxxxix. 4, 6, 7. 
Seymour, Lord Hugh, 47. 

— Captain Horace, 387. 

Shakspeare, xliii. 228. 
Sheridan, 37, 46, 49, 70, 90, 122, 

244, 256, 268, 383, 463. 
Sherlock, Bishop, lxvi. 
Sicard, 405. 

Sidmouth, Lord, 250, 257, 326. 
Sigismund, xxi. 
Smirke, Mr. 456. 
Smith, Sir Sidney, 277. 
Smythe, Sir Edward, 65. 
Smythe, Mr. Walter, 129. 
Somerset, Duke of, xxxvii, 

xxxviii. 
Somerset, Lord Edward, 158. 
Sophia, Princess, 166, 304, 310. 
Sophia of Mecklenburg, xii. 
Sophia of Bohemia, xv. xx. 
Sophia Charlotte, xxi. 
Sophia, Electress, xxi. xxiii. 

xxiv. xxv. 
SophiaDorothea, xiv. xxvi. xxvii. 

xxix. xxx. xxxi. xxxii. xxxiii. 
Southampton, Lord, 48, 67. 
Spencer, Lord, 227. 
Spencer, Lady Charlotfe, 163. 



NDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



483 



Stair, Lord, lxxvii. 

Steele, Sir Richard, xliii. 

Stirling, Captain, 185. 

St. Helens, Lord, 154. 

St. John, Lord, 47. 

St. John, Lady, xlvi. 

St. Leger, Colonel, 115, 324. 

St. Leger, Mrs. 155, 157. 

St. Vincent, Lord, 238. 

Stormont, Lord, 88. 

Suffolk, Lady, 379. 

Sumner, Bishop of Winchester, 

468. 
Sunderland, Earl of, xliv. 
Sussex, Augustus Frederick, 
Duke of, xcix. 182, 184, 268, 
276, 324. 
Sutton, Mr. Manners, 238. 
Sutton, General, lx. 
Talbot, Lord, 4. 
Tarleton, General, 40. 
Tassoni, Signor, 458. 
Taylor, Dr." Brooke, 72. 
Taylor, Mr. 48. 
Taylor, General, 389. 
Tenison, Archbishop, xxiv. 
Thistlewood, Arthur, 402. 
Thomas Herbert, Esq., ii. 
Thomas, Bishop, 28. 
Thomson, lxxiii. 
Thornton, Mr. lxxix. 
Thurlow, Lord ChanceIlor,32, 88, 

195, 227, 276. 
Tierney, Mr. 236, 303. 
Tippoo Saib, 242. 
Tolaud, xxxv. 
Tosto, xi. 

Townshend, Marchioness of, 132. 
Trapaud, General, lxxviii. 
Trapp, Dr. xliv. 
Tucker, Dean, xciv. 
Tyrwhitt, 263. 

Vasto, Marquis del, 245, 248. 
Vernon, Miss, 221. 
Victoria, Princess, 183, 397, 440. 
Villars, Marshal, xxxiv. 
Villers, Lady Caroline, 163. 
Waldegrave, Lord, civ. 
Waldegrave, Dowager Countess 

of, xciii.33. 
Wales, Prince of, Arthur, 9. 
Charles I. 9. 



Wales, Prince of, Charles II. 9. 

Edward of Caernar- 
von, 8. 

Edward of Windsor, 8. 

Edward the Black 

Prince, 8. 

Edward, 9. 

Edward V. 9. 

Edward IV. 

Edward VI. 9. 



Frederick Lewis, lix. 

Ixviii Ixxiv. lxxv. 10, 56. 

George II. lvi. lvii. 10. 

George William Fre- 



derick, see George HI. 

George Augustus Fre- 



derick, (George IV.) 

Henry V. 9. 

Henry VI. of Windsor, 



Henry VIII. 9. 
Henry, xvi. 9. 
James, 10. 
Richard II. 8. 



Wales, Princess Dowager of, 
xcii. 32. 

Wales, Caroline Amelia Eliza- 
beth, Princess of, c. 148, 149, 
150, 153, 157, 159, 162, 163, 
169, 173, 187, 195, 198, 202, 
220, 222, 237, 256, 267, 276, 
278, 282, 303, 304, 310, 324, 
325, 327, 353, 380, 391, 404, 
408, 409, 410, 412, 416. 

Walpole, Sir Robert, lvii. lxxii. 

Walpole, Sir Edward, ciii. 

Walters, Mr. 142. 

Watson, Mr. 458. 

Watson, Bishop, xcvii. 

Watt, James, 457. 

Weld, John, 65. 

Wellesley, Sir Arthur, see 

Wellington, Duke of, 315, 318, 
319, 323, 325, 330, 356, 358, 
362, 363, 372, 408, 423, 434, 
435, 436, 460, 463, 470. 

W T eltjie, Louis, 127. 

Westmoreland, Lord, 435. 

Whiston, Ixxiv. 

Whitbread, Mr. 303, 309, 353. 

Wilber force, Mr. 408. 

Wilks, Mr. xciii. 



284 



INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 



Wilhelmina Amelia, xiv. 

William, xii. xxxix. 

William, xxxiii. 

William III. ci. 

William IV. 7, 106, 109, 142, 

159, 163, 181, 183, 240, 256, 

297, 324, 376, 378, 393, 434, 

435, 437. 
Windham, Mr. 48. 
Wirtemberg, King of, c. 231, 

238, 
Wirtemberg, Queen of, c. 165, 

196, 231, 234, 440. 
Withers, Dr. 140. 
Wood, Mr. lxxx. 20. 
Wortley, Mr. Stuart, 315. 
Wrede, General, 322. 



Wyndham, Sir William, xxxvii- 
xxxviii. 

Yarmouth, Lord, 295, 298, 388. 

Lady, lxxv. 

York, Edward Augustus, Duke 
of, lxx. 

Frederick, Duke of, xcix. 

7, 10, 33, 88, 101, 106, 109, 
111, 140, 142, 145, 149, 165, 
227, 240, 242, 244, 253, 262, 
298, 324, 390, 391, 394, 398, 
403, 433, 444. 

Duchess of, xcix. 145, 

166, 279, 403. 

■ Archbishop of, 164. 

Cardinal, ci. cii. 457,460. 

Younger, Dr. xxxix. xl. 



250* 



HOWLETT AND BRIMMER, PRINTERS, 
10, FRITH STREET, SOHO. 



